My Little Astronaut
by ghostshrimp
Summary: Rachel Berry has always had an obsession with being popular. She gets the chance to experience it when she befriends Quinn Fabray. But along the way she develops feelings that go further than friendship. This story is about finding and accepting yourself.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - This story will start off with a T rating, but as we progress it'll be an M, so I'm just going to keep it at that for now. I'll warn you an advance when chapters will be M or T. Enjoy!

Chapter One: 

**Welcome Class of 2012!**

Senior year.

This was her last year at this god forsaken high school.

This was her last year to get it right.

This was her year not to screw up anything.

This was her year to not let anyone get her down.

This was her year to be all about herself.

She was done with boys.

She was done being the class bitch.

Her new motto? Be independent.

Quinn Fabray strutted into McKinley High School, head held high, and her short blonde hair swaying with every step she took.

A Cheerios uniform was tightly lined against her body.

Sue Sylvester had agreed to let her back on the Cheerios, and the blonde couldn't have been happier. In the end, where some of the kids in Glee had music and theatre, Quinn had cheerleading. Cheerleading was her passion.

To top off her strut down the hallway, she placed her hands on her hips and watched as the people slipped towards the sides of the halls, in order to let her through.

She held a smug smile on her face, pleased in the fact that she still had the power to move the kids to the sides with her attitude.

She walked by Puck who gave her a predatory look, but she ignored him, turning and walking as calm as ever to Glee rehearsal.

She was over Puck.

Even though the boy may have been her first true love, she was completely over him.

Done.

Out of her life.

Even though the boy may have been the first boy to ever take her virginity, she was over him.

Even though she may think about him every day, she was over him.

Quinn was just thankful she was one of the lucky teen girls, that did not get pregnant their first time having sex. She barely knew how to handle herself let alone another tiny body.

And her parents would rip her apart limb from limb if she ever told them she had gotten knocked up.

The blonde marched into the choir room, ignoring the looks that some of the kids gave her as she sat down. They may look all pissed at her now, but in less than ten minutes they wouldn't.

Yes, she had been a complete bitch to all of them. Yes, she may or may not have slushied all of them on a daily basis, or at least had someone do the dirty work for her, but that didn't matter. Because, it was all going to change today.

She had discovered herself over the summer.

After of course, she went through her rebellious phase, and decided to dye her hair pink.

She cringed at the mere thought of the pink hair. She was ecstatic when she had soaked out the pink streaks and went back to her natural blonde ways.

But over the summer, she truly had realized she didn't have to be a complete bitch to be popular.

She needed to be nice. She needed to not use people for her own personal gain. She just needed to be herself and not care so much about popularity. Because, it wasn't about being popular anymore.

It was about her future, college, career.

This was her last year and she wasn't going to mess it up with worrying about what people thought of her.

Quinn's hazel eyes flickered around the room, observing the kids that piled in, and the ones that were already there.

Finn Hudson, the starting quarterback of the McKinley's football team, entered the room, and gave her a sideways, goofy smile. They were good friends, and had talked occasionally the previous year. Although the boys strange infatuation with her was a little bit uncomfortable.

Whenever he didn't think she was looking, he would stare at her.

But Quinn saw everything, and she saw him staring at her throughout Glee rehearsals. She figured she owed the boy a date someday, but it wouldn't be anytime soon.

She was going to stay solo for a while.

She watched Puck walk in, his shoulders forward and trying to look like a hard ass even though Quinn knew he was a total softy on the inside. When he gave her a wide smile, she turned her head away, trying to ignore the way she felt her stomach explode in an array of fireworks.

Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt all walked in together and Quinn examined the pair. She had never really talked to any of them, except for Mercedes one time, when the girl was feeling down about herself. Quinn had encouraged her to love herself no matter her flaws, or what she looked like.

"_And people don't think I have a nice side?" _Quinn thought, rolling her eyes, and bringing her arms up to cross over her chest.

Santana and Brittany walked into the classroom together, and Quinn gave them a wide smile. The two best friends gave her the same smile, taking the two seats next to her before getting wrapped up in their own conversations. Quinn had spent a good part of her summer with them, so she really didn't need to catch up on anything. But she knew for a fact Brittany was at Santana's house everyday over the summer, and she couldn't help but wonder how they always had something to talk about.

Didn't they ever get bored of each other?

Quinn was ripped from her thoughts when the final person walked into the room, and she glanced sideways to see who it was.

Rachel Berry strutted into the room, her arms swinging at her sides, and her legs taking deep strides as she stood front and center in the room.

Even though the girl was annoying as hell, Quinn knew she was the one she owed the biggest apology to. And she made sure that she included Rachel in her little speech she had prepared for the club.

She watched the brunette give a sad, longing smile in Finn's direction and Quinn followed the girl's gaze to the boy who was glancing down.

_'Well that relationship didn't work out.'_ Quinn smirked at the thought, before turning her gaze back over to the brunette who was clearing her throat for attention in the middle of the room.

"Fellow Glee Club members, I just wanted to say how excited I am to start the new year, and I can't wait to share with you my suggestions for song choices that we should sing at Invitational's this-" Rachel began, talking so fast, that Quinn thought she was going to faint.

"Hobbit! Shit-" Santana started, tearing her gaze away from Brittany for two seconds, "First day of school, and I'm already feeling the urge to slap that smile off your face. Sit your ass down, and lets me catch up with Britts." The Latina hissed, turning back to Brittany.

It took a total of two seconds of looking at Brittany for Santana's anger in her eyes to evaporate. Those dark orbs quickly brightened up and turned into a soft, nurturing gaze.

Santana was strange like that. She could be a complete bitch to someone one second, and then look at Brittany and be the sweetest girl on the face of the Earth. Brittany most definitely brought out the best in Santana Lopez.

Although, Quinn had no idea why. It was almost as if the two girls were on their own radio frequency, that no one else could ever possibly get on. Quinn actually couldn't remember a time when the two girls _weren't_ attached by the hip.

The talking in the room stirred up again, and Rachel's jaw was slacked opened as she stood in the front of the classroom.

Quinn couldn't help feeling a tiny ounce of sympathy for the girl, and when Rachel glanced at her, she gave the brunette an empathetic smile.

The brunette hesitated, obviously debating whether or not to smile at the girl.

Finally Rachel returned Quinn's close lipped smile and took her seat.

And Quinn's suspicions about Finn and Rachel breaking up were indeed confirmed when the brunette sat four seats away from the boy.

Around five minutes later Mr. Schuester finally walked in, a gleam in his eyes, a pep in his step, and the tiniest smudge of lipstick on his cheek.

_'God I didn't need to know that you and Miss Pillsbury were making out seconds ago-" _Quinn thought, a feeling of disgust washing over her, _'Scratch that, Miss Pillsbury wouldn't even let you get into her pants Schue.' _

"Hey guys! How was your summer?" He asked quickly, dropping his suitcase down on the piano, and pulling out a sheet of papers, while some kids answered while others didn't even acknowledge what he had asked, "Great, great, mine was pretty good too." He said distractedly, as he stuck out his tongue and flipped through the pages of white paper in his hand.

And Quinn saw her opportunity.

She raised her hand slowly and glanced around the room, waiting for Mr. Schue to spot her.

Her hand was just starting to ache when he saw her and smiled, "Quinn, got something to say?"

She nodded her head, and stood up, smoothing down her Cheerios skirt, and walking to the front of the classroom, her fingers clasped together tightly as she looked around the room.

Everyone was familiar except a blonde boy sitting in the back of the club, his shaggy hair blocking his eyes.

Even though she didn't usually fall for the beach blonde, surfer look, this kid was actually kind of cute.

She made a mental note to get his name before the class ended.

She cleared her throat, and all of the kids seated in front of her slowly went mute, and Quinn felt a wave of anxiety crawl up her spine and tickle the back of her neck. She flickered her gaze to every single teenager in the room before licking her lips and beginning her speech.

"So, I'm pretty sure everyone knows I've been just about the biggest bitch in this sc-"

"Hey!" Mr. Schue said, glancing up from his spot by the piano. "Watch the language!"

_'Oh please, half the damn songs we sing have the word bitch in it and I never see you crawling up Santana's ass when she curses.' _Quinn's thoughts ranted but instead, she turned and smiled politely at her teacher, "Sorry, the cruelest girl at this school," She corrected and earned in approving nod from Mr. Schue. "And I just wanted to say how truly sorry I am for that." She said quietly, feeling goosebumps beginning to rise on her forearms, "Over the summer I learned a lot about myself, and I learned a lot about the person I want to be. And so I just wanted to say sorry, and I sincerely hope I can have a fresh start with each and every one of you..." She cut herself off, biting her bottom lip as she glanced up at the brunette in the front row, "And especially you, Rachel." She ignored the way the girl gave her a shocked look.

The girl obviously had to see this coming because, no one else in the room looked surprised.

"Out of everyone in here, I think it's safe to say I have been the cruelest to you, especially when you didn't deserve it, and I'm sorry. And I hope this year we can have a chance to straighten things out, get it right this year, and maybe even become friends?" Quinn suggested, giving the girl a shy smile, and waiting for her reaction.

There was none.

Instead Kurt spoke up from the second row, "So does this mean, I'm not going to have to bring an extra set of clothes everyday?"

Quinn chuckled, giving the boy a crooked smile, "I can't promise you that, but I can assure you, I will not be the one slushing anybody this year."

Kurt hesitated, giving her a thoughtful look before nodding, and turning to discuss something with Mercedes.

Finn smiled at her and she was reminded of a golden retriever. The boy was obsessed with her. She was almost afraid that he might have a picture of her hanging up on his ceiling.

"I think Quinn has changed, don't you guys think?" The tall boy said, trying to encourage the other kids to speak up about Quinn's sudden change of view on life.

Everyone gave him a nod and a forced smile, not really paying attention to what was going on in the conversation.

Quinn gave up, shrugging her shoulders and walking back to her seat by Santana and Brittany.

"Guys!" Mr. Schuester said excitedly, turning and throwing some papers into the air, looking like a rabid squirrel, "I found some Journey songs we haven't covered yet!"

Everyone in the class let out a groan, and Quinn slunk in her seat, the back of her head hitting the chair.

"I'm proud of you Q!" Brittany whispered, glancing at the blonde over her shoulder and giving her a signature wide Brittany smile.

Quinn returned the smile, and thanked the girl quietly.

When she glanced up to the middle of the room, she saw Mr. Schue directing Finn and Rachel to stand up and demonstrate how to sing properly, and she couldn't help thinking sourly in the back of her head that she wouldn't be getting many solos this year.

She let out an annoyed breath, crossed her arms over her chest and began to zone out.

This was going to be a _long_ year.

* * *

><p><em>Hello Quinn. <em>

Quinn was nibbling on the piece of bacon in her mouth when her phone vibrated against the granite counter top of the island in the middle of the kitchen. She swallowed the strip of her favorite food, smiling at her mother as she whisked past her, heading straight for the coffee machine.

**Uhm, hi. Sorry, who is this? **

She replied back, setting her phone down, and swiveling in the stool, as she watched her mother scurry through the kitchen.

Judy Fabray was like a mouse, that constantly being chased by some invisible cat. Her mother was always in a hurry, and always had to be doing something otherwise she'd go insane. That's why Quinn never had down time as a child because, her mom thought it was necessary to involve her in everything known to mankind. Quinn had probably played every sport known to mankind just because, her mother had gotten more of a kick out of it than she actually did.

"Quinnie, I'm sorry I've barely seen you all week!" Her mother said, when she noticed Quinn watching her, "work has been busy. How was your first week of school?"

Work.

That was always her excuse.

Quinn would bet a million dollars that the woman didn't even know what grade she was in.

The blonde shrugged her shoulders, reaching for another piece of bacon and nibbling on the end of the strip thoughtfully, "Uneventful." She said, waving the bacon around in the air, as her mother giggled.

The older version of Quinn grabbed herself the cup of coffee she had been making and walked back towards the island. She stood directly across from Quinn and traced her eyes over her daughter.

"You excited for Cheerios this year, honey?" She asked, bringing the white coffee cup up to her mouth and sipping down some of the coffee.

Quinn thought about the previous years of Cheerleading. She had quit softball freshman year for cheerleading. It was one of her favorite things in the world. Cheerleading would always be one of those past times she did when she was older.

"I am-" She said, swallowing the piece of bacon, "But this year Sylvester is going to be really rough on this year. Yesterday, she made Santana do eighty pushups in a row, without stopping. If she even slowed for a second or fell, she had to start over, and Santana couldn't do it, but Sue kept her there until Santana's dad came down and yelled at her."

Judy sighed, shaking her head, "I swear that woman is insane."

Quinn nodded, "She is."

"I heard a rumor that she was a lesbian the other day-" Judy piped up, "I wouldn't be surprised if it were true."

Quinn swallowed loudly, staring down at the counter top and looking over the jagged rocks on the smooth surface.

Although she was completely one hundred percent straight, she didn't have anything against gays. She would actually even consider herself one of those straight alliances people. But her parents on the other hand, thought being gay was totally wrong, so she had to go along with it.

"Wouldn't be wrong if she was.." She mumbled underneath her breath.

"What was that Quinnie?" Judy asked loudly.

Quinn glanced up, noticing the anger etched into the older woman's face.

She swallowed nervously before opening her mouth to answer. "I said that's disgusting, and she is a disgrace." Quinn mumbled, glancing down guiltily, taking back what she had just said in her mind.

"That's what I thought." Judy said quietly, chugging down the last of her coffee before putting her cup in the sink.

"I'm working the late shift today, so I won't be home until late this evening. You're not doing anything tonight, correct?" Judy said, rounding the island and coming up to stand right beside Quinn.

"Nope." Quinn muttered dryly.

"Okay, well don't just sit around today. Be productive!" Her mother said, leaning forward and smoothing down Quinn's hair. She kissed the top of her head softly before turning and walking to exit the kitchen, "And your father's upstairs, and he might be around, so maybe hang out with him for a bit!" She suggested, shrugging on her pink jacket and smiling at her daughter widely. "I love you Quinnie! Be good!" Her mother said cheerfully before turning and walking towards the front door.

A few seconds later Quinn heard the door slam shut.

She turned back to the counter top, reaching for the last piece of bacon on the plate and bringing it up to her mouth. She grabbed her phone and clicked open the new text message she had received while talking to her mother.

_It's Rachel Berry._

Quinn swallowed down the piece of bacon, and jumped off the stool, typing a quick reply to the girl as her bare feet slapped against the hardwood floor. She made her way to the living room, preparing to spend the day on the couch watching whatever she could find on cable.

**Oh, hi. What's up? **

She threw herself down on the couch, reaching for the remote and turning on the television to a random channel, scrolling through the channels until she stopped on some old cartoons.

_Nothing. Anyway, Quinn, I just wanted to thank you for being so polite in rehearsal the other day. And I accept your apology and I do sincerely hope we can become friends this year, as well.  
><em>

**Oh... Yeah, sure no problem. Friends would be cool. **

_Great! I'm glad that we figured that out. _

**Yup. Me too. **

_Yes, so? What are you up to on this fine Saturday? _

**Chilling like a villian. You? **

_Sounds fun. And I'm watching some movies with my dads. _

**Oh fun. What movies? **

_Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Fright Night. _

**Rachel Berry likes scary movies? I would have never known. **

_I'm full of surprises, Quinn! _

**I'm sure you are. **

_I am! _

**I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my squishy. **

_Finding Nemo? I love that movie! But why are you quoting it? _

**It's on the television. :)**

_Oh I see. _

**Yup, I love Dory. **

_Me too. You know you are kind of weird. Which is ironic...  
><em>

**I'm very weird to be honest. And how is it ironic.  
><strong>

_Well, I've always had this strange obsession of being popular, and I've actually always wanted to be like you. But whenever I got around all those popular people, I would get so nervous, and I would be speechless, and I'd babble like an idiot and make a complete fool out of myself. _

**I'm sure that's not true.  
><strong>

_It is.  
><em>

**Is not. Look, my advice? Just be yourself, and people will like you. And if not, they don't matter. **

_I don't know. I've just always wanted to be popular. And I'm sounding desperate now.  
><em>

**Quit getting down on yourself! Maybe someday soon you can come with me to talk with some of the kids you consider "popular" and you'll get the hang of it. Sound good? **

_Yeah, that actually sounds great. Thanks Quinn!_

**Anytime Rachel.**

_Well I got to finish the movies with my dads. I'll talk to you later.Bye Quinn. _

* * *

><p><em>Hey Quinn... It's Rachel Berry. Mercedes told me about what happened at Cheerios today and I wanted to say I'm sorry that Sue put you on the JV squad this year. But Mercedes also told me that you were considering quitting, and I really don't think you should. <em>

**Rachel, you do realize I have your number saved correct? **

_Oh... I didn't know if you would have saved it. But anyway, don't quit Cheerios!_

**Why? It's pointless. I can never make Varsity now. **

_Yes you can! You don't know that. You just have to keep trying and don't let Sue get you down. Believe in yourself and you can be whatever you want to be. _

**I just don't get it. It's senior year, I've been on the Varsity squad every year, and I work so hard for that damn woman. I feel like the whole world is against me. **

_I'm not against you._

**Okay then, besides you. **

_Look, I know you are mad, I would be too. But the best thing is to not show you are getting down about it. Don't give up, and show Sue that you are better than her. Prove to her that you deserve to be on Varsity not JV, prove to her that you are better. And you'll feel much better if you follow my advice than quit. I'm Rachel Berry, I'm just proving a very valid point here. _

**You are crazy chick. :) But thank you, I suppose I could give that a try. But I'm still upset. **

_Well... How about I get your mind off of it? _

**I guess that could work. **

_Great! What are you doing? _

**Thinking. **

_That's cool. Do you mind if I ask what you are thinking about? _

**Glee, Cheerios, etc. Just life in general. What are you doing? **

_Watching Funny Girl! :) And well, if you ever need something to talk about, you obviously have my number saved. ;)_

**I've never seen Funny Girl. And I do! Haha! **

_YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN FUNNY GIRL? GOOD LORD MS. FABRAY, HAVE YOU EVER LIVED? _

**Apparently not. I take it it's good? **

_It is amazingly beautiful. Barbara Streisand is outstanding. _

**That explains it. **

_Excuse me? _

**It's got Barbara Streisand in it. Of course you love it. **

_I find that offensive, Quinn!_

**Oh get over yourself Berry.**

_Ouch, I'm wounded. _

**I'm just messing with you. **

_I hope so because, you are being immensely mean! _

**I'm a mean person. **

_Actually you are not. You surprise me with your kindness._

**Well thank you Berry. You're not so bad yourself, kid. **

_I'm older than you!_

**Hey! Not by much...**

_Still older, therefore still wiser. And still more mature.  
><em>

**I'm pretty sure I am more mature than you. **

_Maybe more confident. Definitely not more mature._

**Lies woman.**

_Truth woman._

**You are infuriating. **

_That's my job. ;)_

**Remind me why I'm friends with you again? **

_Because, I'm adorable._

**I am not going to admit that. **

_Well fine, I didn't want you to anyway._

**Yes you did, Rach.**

_Ugh, I know. _

**Guess what? I think my mom sorta likes you. **

_Your Christian mother likes the daughter of two gay dads? _

_I'm sorry that was mean. _

**Actually it wasn't, I understand where you are coming from. And don't take my honesty as being disrespectful towards your dads, but she likes **_**you. **_**I don't think she is very fond of your fathers. **

_Although I don't believe that whatsoever. I understand. I'm a supporter of the gays, even though myself, am not one. _

**Neither am I, but if you want in on a little secret. I secretly support that too, but I can't act like that around my parents or I'd probably get kicked out of my house. **

_Quinn Fabray! You rebellious child. _

**That's me!**

_I think my fathers have taken a liking to you as well. They see me smile when I text you._

**Awh, little Berry smiles when she texts me? How adorable. But on to your fathers, really? Even after how I treated you last year? **

_They are very open minded. They believe people can change. _

**Well I'm glad they can accept it so easily. Hopefully, I can prove myself to them if I could meet them someday?**

_You'd want to meet them?_

**Uhm, yes. Is that a problem? **

_Not at all! I'd love for you to meet them, I just didn't think you would._

**What? Why? **

_Because, you are popular, and it'd ruin your reputation to be caught at my house._

**The popular talk again? Oh Rachel, despite the rumors, that is not true. The so called "popular kids" don't really care if you hang out with the so called "unpopular kids", trust me. It's not a big deal. **

_Whatever you say. _

**Rachel, just trust me okay? **

_Okay, I trust you. _

**Thank you. :)**

_I'm going to bed though. I'll see you tomorrow? _

**Sure thing, kid. Night, Rach.**

* * *

><p><strong>Hey girly, what's up with your Facebook status? <strong>

_The people are crazy one? _

**That would be the one. :) **

_Oh, well I had to stay after school for a Glee assignment and Santana and Brittany did as well. And I tried to stay calm because, you know I get nervous and all around the popular kids. And they were actually a lot more... weirder than I am. _

**Oh lord. Those two are my best friends. They're crazy aren't they?**

_Uhm yeah, they were singing to "Take It Off" by Ke$ha and stripping off their tops so they were in their sports bra. They're strange._

**They are.. I'll have to tell you something about them when we hang out.**

_Who said I wanted to hang out with you? _

**That was mean, Berry.**

_You are seeing Rachel Berry exposed now._

**:D You crack me up chick. **

_I'm hilarious, I know. I make myself laugh._

**Cocky much? **

_Not cocky, confident._

**I call it cocky. I have a question for you? **

_Shoot._

**Well as you are hopefully aware the football team made it to state, and my parents and I are road tripping up to Columbus for the championship game and I wanted to know if you wanted to tag along with us? **

_Really?_

**No, not really.**

_Oh. _

**I'm kidding, Rachel. Of course!**

_Oh! Well then, I'd be happy to accompany you. I am the life of a party._

**Oh jeez, am I going to have to deal with this the whole two hour drive? **

_Possibly. :)_

**Eh, I'll live. **

_Great. I'm going to go out to dinner with my dads. I'll let you know what they say about this weekend._

**Great, bye!**

Quinn set her phone down, chewing on her thumb thoughtfully.

Maybe being friends with Rachel Berry wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: 

Music was one of the most relaxing things in the world to Quinn.

Just the way the harmony drifted through the headphones and into her ears, it was spectacular. Her feet bounced on the carpeted floor and she unconsciously chewed on the end of her pen as she read through her latest romance novel.

Reading was also a joy to Quinn.

She hated the idea of the new technology of reading books on a little pad.

She preferred substantial books in her hands rather than some computer object.

She nearly screamed in surprise though when a tan hand shot out and ripped the book from her grasp, and her headphones were being flung off her ears. She gaped, feeling anger rise up in her belly and she turned to face the culprit, preparing to tell the person off.

Santana was standing there with a smug smile set firmly on her face, with Brittany at her side.

"Q, it's time for some major girl talk." Santana informed her, before taking Brittany's hand and dragging her to the opposite side of the wooden table.

Quinn watched Santana pull out Brittany's chair for her and the two shared a secret smile, when Brittany sat down.

To others it may have looked like a first date, but Santana had been doing sweet things like that for Brittany ever since Quinn could remember, so she never usually questioned, but every once in a while Quinn wondered just _how_ close the two girls were.

Quinn was in the middle of contemplating this when Santana snapped her fingers in front of eyes, trying to regain the attention back on herself.

"Q, what's up with you and hobbit?" The Latina demanded, her piercing gaze intimidating Quinn ever so slightly.

Quinn narrowed her eyes, her gaze flickering between Santana and Brittany. Santana had a serious look across her face, while Brittany was staring behind Quinn, her eyes most likely on a poster that she was trying to read.

It was a classical Brittany move. Brittany was always off in her own little world.

"What do you mean what's up with me and _Rachel_?" Quinn asked, cocking one eyebrow up and giving her a friend a challenging smile.

"Oh god, you are calling her by her first name now. Shit, we are fucked!" Santana groaned, slapping her hand down on the table, "why would you talk to her? She has some sort of disease or something, Q. She's not good for your reputation, and you always used to care about that, remember?"

Quinn rolled her eyes.

God, she hated thinking about what a bitch she had been.

"I don't know if you completely ignored my whole speech at the beginning of the year in Glee, but S, I'm a different person now." Quinn murmured.

Santana gave her an appalled look, "I didn't think you were actually serious!" She sat still for a moment before shaking her head, "and I doubt that Q, people like you don't just change on the spot like that."

The blonde sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Of course I was being serious. I've changed. And it wasn't just on the spot, it was over a whole three months." Quinn explained, "I don't want to be known as that bitch Quinn Fabray anymore. And my first start, was Rachel. And she's actually not as bad as you think she is. And it's actually possible to not care about your reputation, because, I don't care what anyone thinks about me anymore."

"Even Puck?" Santana challenged.

Quinn felt the sudden urge to leap across the table and rip her best friend's hair out.

The girl knew exactly where to pull Quinn's strings.

She hated the girl sometimes.

But she loved the girl as well.

It was a never-ending cycle.

"Even Puck." Quinn confirmed, although it wasn't fully the truth.

"That's a load of bull and we both know it." Santana retorted. She rolled her eyes, and leaned back in the chair with her arms against her chest, still giving Quinn the same challenging smirk she always wore.

Quinn exhaled loudly, "Look, I don't know what the big deal is. Why can't I hang out with Rachel?"

"Because, she's fucking weird!" Santana answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Quinn felt the need to defend the brunette she had recently started becoming friends with, "Hey, she really is not that bad. You just have to get to know her. She's funny and really nice. I like her and I wouldn't mind being friends with her."

Santana opened her mouth to speak but she quickly shut it with an audible snap.

Quinn didn't fail to notice that Brittany's hand seemed to move underneath the table, and Santana was no longer looking at Quinn, but at Brittany.

The two were obviously having some sort of conversation through their eyes, and Quinn felt a bit uncomfortable just sitting there. The look in there eyes, she couldn't decipher, but it almost made her feel like she was viewing something that was to personal.

"San, cut Quinn some slack," Brittany said, taking a glance at Quinn out of the corner of her eye and giving her a tiny wink before turning back to Santana, "Rachel makes our Q happy. And Q has changed and we need to be happy for her, okay?"

Quinn was secretly cheering on Brittany in her head, and when the blonde turned to look at her she gave her a sincere smile.

She swore Brittany was the smartest person in the world when it came to calming down Santana.

Brittany also knew a lot about life lessons. Even though the girl wasn't smart in school, she knew how to handle life and she was smart with her life choices.

Santana seemed to be having a mental battle in her head as she flickered her gaze between Brittany and Quinn. And finally, her dark eyes settled on Quinn and she narrowed them, "Fine, Q, even though I still think it's a fucking stupid idea to be friends with someone like Rachel, go ahead and knock yourself out. But don't come crying to me when you are getting bashed for hanging out with the chick."

"The only one who will be crying Santana is you. Because, you hate being wrong," Quinn murmured with a smug look on her face, "And in this situation, I'm right and you're wrong."

Santana rolled her eyes, "Oh, please, bitch. Watch yourself before, I smack you."

"So scared." Quinn sighed, and picked up her ear buds and placed them in her ears once again, happy that music was filling her ears again.

Before she zoned the world out she glanced up to see Santana and Brittany with blushes on their cheeks, and whispering words of whatever they talked about to each other.

Quinn felt a tightening in her stomach and she swallowed loudly, dropping her head to the table, shutting her eyes, and listening to the sounds of music invade her ears.

* * *

><p>Across the school in the choir room, Rachel was in the same position as Quinn.<p>

She had been doing a vocal run through when Kurt had stormed into the choir room, his shoes squeaking against the tile floor.

Before Rachel had even opened her mouth Kurt had forcefully grabbed her and shoved her into one of the chairs.

Mercedes had entered behind Kurt, and had given Rachel a warming smile, and sat down next to the brunette.

The two had been lecturing her ever since.

Kurt stood with his hands on his hips, an agitated look upon his face, while Mercedes had a sympathetic look on her face and was glancing back and forth between Kurt and Rachel.

"It's Quinn Fabray!" Kurt groaned, his arms moving to cross against his chest.

"I don't see why you are getting so upset about this Kurt, Quinn and I have developed a friendship and it's going along smoothly as of right now. And she is considerably nice to me. What is the big problem with me being friends with her?" Rachel demanded to know, crossing her own arms against her own chest.

If Kurt wanted to be stubborn, she could be stubborn too. She was the queen at being stubborn. She'd win this game.

"It's _Quinn Fabray._" Kurt insinuated.

Mercedes glanced at Kurt, licking her lips before turning back to Rachel.

"Rachel, I think what Kurt is trying to say is that we don't want you to get hurt by Quinn." Mercedes explained, "yes, it's possible she has changed, but we don't know that for sure. And you are our best friend, and we don't want to see you get hurt by some girl like Quinn. She is mean, and everyone knows it. And we don't want you to be so upset over her that you don't do good at Invitationals just because, she'll be there as well." The girl finished, licking her lips, her eyes wide and pleading.

And with that last sentence Rachel knew what the whole thing with Quinn was about.

It wasn't that they were concerned Quinn would hurt her.

They were concerned that if Quinn did hurt her, how Rachel would react, and if she'd be good enough for Invitationals and Sectionals after that.

_'Well screw them!' _Rachel thought, shaking her head.

Quinn was sincere when she said she was sorry for everything that happened last year, and Rachel truly believed her.

But if Quinn did end up turning out to be a complete fraud, of course Rachel would be devastated. She had always had this strange fascination of being best friends with the girl and she was getting that opportunity. Not even being friend with just Quinn, just being friends with a popular girl.

And now that she had that opportunity, she sure as hell wasn't going to throw it away because, her friends wanted her to be good at Invitationals.

"Look, friends," Rachel began, setting her binder down in her lap before glancing up at the two, "I'm happy you are concerned for me, and I really appreciate it. But I'm a big girl now, I'm almost eighteen, I know how to handle myself and situations like this. If I get hurt then you can tell me I told you so. But Quinn and I have blossomed into a great friendship, and I also believe she needs someone right now. No one has exactly ever been there through her when she went haywire last year with Puck breaking up with her just before school started. And I can be a good friend to her." She finished, giving them both pleading looks of her own.

"I don't kno-" Kurt began, shifting on his feet.

A knock on the door interrupted him in mid-sentence, and the three people glanced up to the doorway to see a sheepish looking Quinn Fabray standing there.

_'My hero!' _Rachel couldn't help but thinking to herself, and she automatically brightened, "Quinn, hey!"

"Hey Rach," Quinn murmured shyly, glancing at Kurt and Mercedes awkwardly. The blonde walked into the room, her white dress swaying softly by her knees, and her brown boots echoing off the tile floor, "Sorry to intrude but do you mind if I borrow Rachel for a second?" The blonde asked.

Kurt glanced at Mercedes, and Mercedes glanced at Rachel.

After a beat of silence Kurt finally spoke up, "No, not at all." He said, but his face spoke otherwise.

Quinn narrowed her eyes towards the boy, thinking about saying something.

But she ultimately just shrugged it off before turning to smile at Rachel.

Rachel glanced up at Kurt nervously, before standing up and smoothing down her skirt.

She smiled widely at Quinn and followed the blonde who turned and exited the choir room.

Rachel took quick notice of the way Kurt was staring daggers at the back of the blonde's head, and Rachel slapped his shoulder as she passed him.

"Be good," She hissed, "I'll be right back."

After hearing the boy snort, she strode out of the room, and nearly bumped into Quinn who was standing right outside the door.

She flushed a deep shade of red, and took a big step back, putting distance between herself and the blonde.

"Sorry." She mumbled shyly.

Quinn smirked at the girls apology and obvious quaver in Rachel's voice, and Rachel knew full well it was because, Quinn wasn't shy at all when it came to Rachel Berry. But Rachel was immensely shy when it came to Quinn Fabray.

"It's okay, Rach." She grinned, crossing her arms over her chest, "we are still on for tonight, right?"

Rachel nodded quickly, "We sure are."

Quinn smiled, then ran a hand through her cropped hair, "Great. I'm excited." Quinn said, but Rachel saw the look of anxiety flash through the blonde's hazel eyes.

Being the concerned friend she was Rachel frowned, "What is it?"

Rachel felt her stomach begin to twist, preparing herself for the girl to tell her she didn't actually want to hang out with her.

But instead the blonde just rubbed the back of her neck and gave Rachel an apologetic smile before talking, "Look," she mumbled, glancing down at the ground and kicking the toe of her boot against the tile floor nervously, "I just wanted to let you know before you come over tonight, my dad might give you the cold shoulder." She informed Rachel, "but I don't want you to take it personally. He has nothing against you..." Quinn trailed off and suddenly became fascinated by the lockers on the right side of the hallway.

Rachel felt her stomach unclench and she nearly leaped in joy when the blonde didn't say what Rachel thought she was going to say.

But she understood why Quinn would be apologetic.

"Nothing against me, but something against my dads." Rachel murmured, licking her lips and pulling them together in a tight line.

"Sorry." Quinn said sadly, giving her a sympathetic look.

Rachel shook her head, "No, don't be, it's okay. I understand." She said quickly, hoping the blonde wasn't going to change her mind.

Quinn didn't look convinced, and she gave Rachel a hesitant look, "Are you sure Rachel?"

The first time she'd ever be able to hang out with a popular girl like Quinn, and the girl was already thinking about calling the thing off.

Rachel _could not_ let this happen.

"I'm positive." Rachel said through her teeth, giving Quinn a wide smile.

The blonde stared at her for a second longer before pursuing her lips to the side and nodding, "Okay, Rach. If you say so," The blonde muttered, her smile quickly widening, "Pack warm, it's supposed to be cold, and I'll pick you up tonight at around, oh, seven?"

Rachel nodded eagerly, "Sounds great Quinn. Thanks Quinn. Y'know, for inviting me Quinn." She blubbered nervously.

And then to her dismay, she realized she had managed to say the girls name three times, out of nervousness.

Quinn chuckled, giving the girl a smirk and placing one hand on Rachel's shoulder, "Quit being nervous, chick. It's gonna be fun."

Rachel stood open mouthed, then nodded, giving Quinn a shy smile, before the blonde pulled away, smiling smugly. Rachel watched as the blonde walked away, before she sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

She turned around and headed back into the choir room where Kurt and Mercedes were standing, a more relaxed expression on both of their faces.

"We've come to an agreement." Kurt announced proudly, tipping his head back to observe the brunette.

Rachel rolled her eyes and headed towards her seat, grabbing her belongings that she had left, "And what would that be?"

Mercedes glanced at Kurt and the boy nodded. Mercedes turned back to Rachel and said, "We will agree to let you be friends with Quinn-"

"Oh thanks." Rachel mumbled sarcastically.

"Shut the hell up!" Kurt cut in, and Mercedes elbowed him in the ribs, "Look, Rachel, you can be friends with Quinn, but the first time she makes a wrong move you have to promise us you'll get out of that friendship immediately, okay?"

Rachel swung her bag over her shoulder before glancing at the two of them, "I don't really have a say anymore, do I?"

Kurt glanced at Mercedes and they both smirked, "Not really."

The brunette groaned, "Fine whatever. It won't happen, but whatever."

Rachel didn't enjoy the fact that her two friends turned to each other, a complete look of accomplishment across their faces.

She quickly said good bye to the two, and headed home for her night with Quinn Fabray.

* * *

><p><strong>It's the yellow one, right? <strong>

Rachel glanced at her phone in the midst of stuffing her winter jacket in her backpack. She chuckled, typing back a smart ass reply.

_Texting while driving Miss Fabray. Tsk, tsk. _

She smirked, shutting her phone and throwing it on the bed. She reached for her shoes that were in her closet and quickly shoved them on her tiny feet, lacing them up, just as quickly. She observed her feet for a few seconds, tipping her head to the side.

She hated her feet.

They were to damn tiny!

The brunette turned glancing at her bag, and chuckling to herself.

By the time she had finished packing earlier, she had already had two bags, so she decided to empty one of them out and made one bag of the only things she'd absolutely need. And it still left her with a bag and a half so she hoped Quinn didn't mind much.

Her phone was lighting up with an incoming text message, so Rachel quickly reached for it and read the reply from the blonde.

**Shut the hell up. Which one? **

_Feisty? :D Yes, the yellow one. _

Ten seconds later she heard loud knocking on the front door.

Looks like Quinn had been standing outside just waiting for Rachel to reply.

For some reason this amused Rachel.

She quickly grabbed her bags and shut her light off. She leaped down the stairs nearly crashing body first into one of her dads, daddy Hiram. He gave her an amused look, and she couldn't help but glancing down, her face flushing red.

She had always been the clumsy one of the family.

As her father reached for the door, Rachel slid past him like a ninja, and grabbed the door handle before he could.

"Hey Quinn!" Rachel said excitedly at the sight of the blonde.

Quinn stood with her short hair frizzled out in every which way, and Rachel couldn't help but find her look completely crazy. But other than the hair, the girl looked normal. She was dressed in a plaid coat that hung down to her the tips of her thighs and she had a pair of jeans on, with sneakers.

Rachel couldn't help but feel like this was the first time she had ever seen Quinn in something other than a skirt or a dress.

"Hey Rachel-" Quinn began, before pausing as she noticed the tall man behind her, staring at her curiously, "And Mr. Berry, it's nice to meet you. I'm Quinn." The blonde said nervously, reaching her hand past Rachel's body towards the man.

Rachel hadn't even thought about what her fathers would have thought of Quinn. I mean, she had come home crying once or twice because, of how mean the blonde had been in the past. And daddy Hiram had always been the forgiving one, so she wasn't worried about how he would perceive Quinn. She was more worried about Papa Leroy because, he was the stricter one and he was oh so, very protective of his little girl.

Rachel turned, watching her fathers reaction and nearly fainting when the man did nothing. She tried to scream at him with her eyes.

He just stood there staring at Quinn's hand like it was infested with ants.

_'This can't be happening to me. It's just a dream.' _Rachel thought to herself, while shutting her eyes and shaking her head.

And then there was big boisterous laughing and Leroy had Quinn's hand in his own and was practically yanking the girl inside the cozy household.

"Gotcha!" He shouted and looked down at the girl, "Sorry about that, the Berry's are all practical jokers."

Quinn glanced at Rachel nervously, then back up at the man, "I see." She hinted, giving the man a shy smile.

Rachel glared at her father, trying to show him how embarrassing he was.

"Quinn let's go-" Rachel began, but was interrupted by, Papa Leroy walking out from the kitchen, wiping his hands down with a washcloth.

"Now wait a minute Rachel," He said, giving his daughter a warm smile, and glancing at Quinn politely, "I'd like to meet your friend."

Before Rachel could even reach for Quinn's arm to yank her out of the house, the blonde was already striding towards the living room and preparing to take a seat on the couch.

Rachel groaned and slowly stomped into the living room, shooting daggers at her father's who were oblivious to the fact that their daughter was angry. She plopped down on the couch next to Quinn and glanced at the taller girl sheepishly, while Quinn just smiled confidently.

Rachel groaned when Papa Leroy crossed one leg over the other and sat forward on with his head cradled in his hands.

Quinn flickered her eyes over to Rachel's and the brunette mouthed the word sorry.

But Quinn didn't seem to be the least bit nervous at all. She seemed comfy in the small living room that Rachel was having a panic attack just being in.

"So Quinn, how long have you been friends with our Ray?" Leroy asked, and Rachel nearly died at the mentioned of her pet name her father's called her.

_'Shoot me now God.' _She mouthed to the ceiling.

Rachel watched Quinn's reaction but the girl just merely glanced down, smiled, then looked back up at the couple. "Just recently, that's actually something I'd like to talk to you about-" She murmured, giving Rachel a small smile before continuing, "I haven't treated your daughter with the exact respect she deserved a while back, and I just wanted to let you know I send my sincerest apologies." She offered, flickering her hazel gaze back and forth between the two men.

Noticing neither man was going to speak Quinn swallowed nervously and continued, "But over the summer I sort of had a change of heart, and I realized that I shouldn't have ever done anything in the first place because, Rachel has never been anything but not nice to me. So before I started hanging out with her I wanted to tell you I'm sorry and it won't happen again."

Rachel had to give the blonde props for being brave enough to tell two grown men this.

If she were in Quinn's position she would practically be shitting her pants.

Hiram immediately waved his hand in the air, "It's in the past." He muttered, sitting forward and reaching his hand out in Quinn's direction. "But, Quinn-" He said in a serious tone, showing his protective father persona. "If you shake my hand right now, that means you aren't going to bully our daughter again."

And at this point Rachel had her head in her lap and she was trying to take deep even breaths.

God how was she related to these people?

Quinn swallowed loudly, and firmly gripped the mans hand, "I won't Mr. Berry." She replied, her tone just a serious.

Hiram knitted his eyebrows together, studying Quinn before glancing at Leroy and cocking his head to the side. Leroy stared at him for a moment, and Rachel could tell they were having one of their inner conversations. She was nearly positive her fathers could have a full conversation without actually saying one word.

Finally, Hiram turned and smiled, "Okay, Quinn. Thank you. And please-" He started getting up, and Rachel quickly followed jumped to her feet excited to go, "Call us Hiram and Leroy, Mr. Berry makes us sound old." He said with a chuckle, "Now get going and have fun."

Quinn smiled, giving the two men one more handshake before glancing at Rachel and cocking her eyebrows up, tilting her head towards the front door.

As the two girls made their way out, Rachel slowed and glared at the two men she called her parents and shook her head sternly, "Way to embarrass me guys."

"Be good, honey!" They both retorted, rolling their eyes before turning back to the kitchen.

Rachel groaned, and followed after Quinn who was halfway out the front door.

The brunette reached for her bags but noticed, that they were nowhere to be seen. She was getting ready to ask the blonde if she'd seen them on her way out, when she heard a trunk slam and she glanced out to see Quinn, motioning for her to come outside.

Quinn had put away her bags for her?

Kurt and Mercedes don't know what they were talking about.

Quinn had obviously changed.

The brunette hurriedly shut the door and bounded over to the car door, opening it and plopping down into the passenger seat. She shot Quinn an ear to ear smile, before putting her seat belt on.

"I'm so sorr-" She began.

"Hush it." Quinn intervened, "It's okay, they were both nice. And I understand why they wanted to meet me." She said, glancing at the rear view mirror.

"Still embarrassing." Rachel muttered, glancing out the window then at the radio. She quickly began fiddling with it, searching for a station to listen to. She grimaced when all she heard was modern pop music and country radio.

Rachel was into the classical Broadway and indie music.

Apparently Quinn noticed her expression.

"My music taste not good enough for miss Rachel Berry?" She countered, a smug smile on her face.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, smiling at Quinn, "I don't like modern music."

"Of course! You like Broadway. I am aware of this, Rach." Quinn chuckled, tightening her hands on the wheel.

Rachel snorted, "No, I like indie music too!"

"Yeah?" Quinn shot back, "Like what?'

Now she had to think. There were obviously to many to name, so she named the bigger hit artists off the top of her head. "Mumford and Sons are good, so are The Black Keys, and Ben Howard, Foster The People, The Civil Twilight." She rambled off, glancing at Quinn out of the corner of her eyes. "And plenty more, it's a very broad genre."

The blonde had her lips pursed and looked like she was thinking hard, "I think I heard of the second one." She muttered, cocking one perfectly shaped eyebrow up.

"You haven't heard of any of the others though?" Rachel guffawed, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor of the car.

"No?" Quinn muttered confused.

_'I'm going to have to teach her a thing or two on music!' _Rachel thought, before speaking her thoughts aloud, "I'll show you to them sometime." She replied, relaxing into the seat.

"Okay Berry." Quinn replied.

It became quiet and Rachel found herself shifting in the seat.

She was never one for sitting in a car, so she distracted herself by looking at the trees that whipped by the car and the blur of green she was met with. She glanced at the road ahead of the car, and then finally to the blonde in the drivers seat.

It was obvious that Quinn was pretty. A blind man could see that. And Rachel had always found Quinn extremely beautiful, and Rachel had made sure Quinn knew that in the past. But maybe it was the whole nice personality the blonde was taking on that made her look even more beautiful. While last year, Quinn's face was always turned down in a frown, her expression always just worn out and tired, and angry. At that moment she looked carefree, happy, and completely relaxed.

And of course Rachel had to get caught staring and she immediately turned, her face erupting in a blush.

"Caught you." Quinn teased, turning the wheel and pulling into a neighborhood.

Rachel did have a snide retort, but when she saw the large houses, she forgot said comment.

It wasn't like Rachel's family was poor. They had money. Their house was average sized, and they had good furniture and a very modern house.

But Quinn's parents must have been loaded. Because, this neighborhood they had turned into had mansions. No, mansions on top of those mansions. These houses didn't have words. These were like A list celebrity movie star houses.

Quinn pulled the car up to a driveway to a large brown house that looked like it never ended. There was a full porch that wrapped around the house and it seemed as if their windows on every square inch of the house.

Quinn pulled the key out of the ignition and got out of the car casually, while Rachel sat on the passenger side, just gaping at the house.

God, Quinn was loaded.

What did her dad do again?

A few light taps to the window pulled her out of her trance and she glanced out the window, seeing an amused looking Quinn.

Rachel giggled, undoing the seat belt and getting out of the car, following Quinn, who had her bags, towards the front door of the large house.

The blonde gently set down her suitcase and reached for her keys inside her jacket pockets.

Rachel was watching her when Quinn's hand hesitated on the door knob.

"Rach-" Quinn mumbled, glancing over her shoulder, "Please don't take anything my parents say tonight to heart... Okay?"

She quickly nodded, giving her an understanding smile.

Everyone had different views.

_'Even though some people's views were wrong.'_ Rachel thought to herself.

And then the door was being pushed open and Rachel's inner monologue was cut off when she saw the large entrance inside the house.

It seemed impossible, but the house was even bigger than it looked.

The entryway to the front door held a large foyer and two staircases, each heading off in a different direction. Family photos, yearbook pictures, and art decorations were hung up all throughout the little area Rachel was viewing. And to top it off there was a huge ass chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Rachel was really hoping her jaw wasn't on the floor.

"Quinnie!" A squeaky voice called, "is your friend here?"

Quinn glanced at Rachel, rolling her eyes before darting towards the left into a room, and then quickly re-entering with a woman and man by her side.

Rachel could only assume they were Quinn's parents.

She had heard stories about Russell Fabray from Puck, when she had the occasional conversation with him. Puck had said the man was intimidating, and he looked like he hated you and was judging you from the moment he laid eyes on you. Puck hit that one with a nail on the head. This man was staring at her, his facial features hard, and an unrecognizable look on his face. His blonde hair was slicked back, and his jaw was tightened.

Rachel traced her eyes over to the woman, who looked like an older, mature version of Quinn. Except while Quinn's hair had been cropped short, the woman had hair that hung to her shoulders. She looked frigid but kind. Rachel didn't want to touch the woman though, she was afraid she'd break her.

"Rachel!" The woman said, a wide grin on her face, "We've heard so much about you. I'm Judy!" Judy exclaimed, taking a few steps forwards to the brunette and thrusting her hand out.

Rachel smiled nervously, taking the tiny hand in her own and shaking it.

"I'm Russell." The man's voice boomed intimidatingly, from behind Judy, taking a step forward to stand behind his wife. "You're the Berry's kid?"

Rachel took notice to Quinn shooting a hateful look at her father and Rachel tried not to laugh while the blonde flipped him off behind his back.

"I am." She replied proudly, tilting her chin up ever so slightly.

She'd never be ashamed of her fathers. And she was going to show this man she could stand up to him. She challenged him with her eyes for the man to insult her daddies.

The man narrowed his eyes, obviously wondering if he should accept Rachel's challenge or ignore it.

"Interesting." He grumbled, "you like football?"

Was this guy serious?

She knew about two things about football. And that was only because, she had bothered to look it up when she had dated Finn. She wanted to seem interesting, but football bored her to know end. She didn't understand what was so interesting about sweaty boys in large pads tackling each other.

"Sure." She lied, giving him a wide grin and noticing the man relaxing a little bit, his arm casually raising to wrap around his wife's shoulder.

"Good!" He said, the first signs of a smile appearing on his face, "You excited for the game?"

Rachel nodded her head quickly, "I sure am sir. Our-" _'Oh my god what's our football teams name?' _Rachel pried her brain for the name.

The man stared at her confused before it came to her.

"Our Titans will represent."

"They sure will!" The man boasted, glancing behind at Quinn and giving his daughter a wide smile. "You pick good friends, honey!" He said, before turning back to Rachel and thrusting his hand out in similar fashion to his wife.

Rachel quickly took his hand and gave him one firm shake before letting go and glancing at Quinn.

"Well," Quinn started, pushing past her parents and making her way to stand by Rachel, "we're going to go hang out in my room. What time are we getting up again?"

"Seven." Russell replied, smiling down at Judy before glancing back up at the two teenage girls.

"Ugh, so early." Quinn growled, then glanced at Rachel and flicked her head to the side. Rachel quickly waved a good bye to Quinn's parents before following the blonde down the hallway and into the basement.

"You live in the basement?" Rachel asked skeptically, as she followed Quinn down the stairs.

Quinn nodded, "More privacy."

Rachel considered this as they entered the blonde's room and she glanced around. There were cheer mats laid out on the far side of the wall, and trophies and ribbons were everywhere. Pictures of Santana, Brittany, and Quinn were hung in frames on the walls. Pictures of handwritten letters were taped to the wall, and there was a large television sitting in one of the corners, while a large queen size bed was pushed up against the wall.

Rachel glanced around in awe, realizing Quinn's bedroom was about ten times bigger than her own.

The brunette noticed a bathroom off in the far corner, and she glanced around at a few clothes lying on the floor.

Quinn glanced at Rachel smiling guiltily, "I took a nap before I came and got you and I forgot to clean up, so why don't you just sit on the bed and then we can watch a movie or something." The blonde suggested, and Rachel was quick to obey, slipping off her shoes by the stairs then heading over to the bed and leaping on top of it.

She heard a small giggle behind her and she cocked her eyebrows up at Quinn curiously.

"You're just so short. You had to like, leap onto the bed when all I have to do is sit on it." She explained, bending down and beginning to pick up random clothes on the floor, "It was funny."

"Quinn Fabray, don't make fun of me! I take offense to that." Rachel said in a mocking tone.

"Oh please." Quinn said rolling her eyes, "how was your day before I got you?"

Rachel laid back on the bed, and glanced at the blonde who was shifting around the room picking up dresses, skirts, and her shoes on the ground all while occasionally glancing up at the brunette who was lounging on her bed.

"It was okay, quite boring." She replied, "And yours?"

Quinn glanced over her shoulder, giving a shrug, "Pretty much the same, boring as usual. Although I got bombarded with millions of texts by that doofus, Finn."

Rachel quirked her eyebrows up, and her heart sank a little bit in her chest.

She wasn't over Finn.

They had dated for the longest time. He was the first boy she had ever kissed. She truly believed they were going to get married someday and she'd be Rachel Hudson. But they broke it off over the summer because, he said he needed some space. Rachel knew what space meant when she saw the boy making googly eyes at Quinn the first day back at schol.

"Speaking of Finn-" Quinn countered, turning and cocking her eyebrows up, placing her hands on her hips, "how are you and him?"

Rachel licked her lips nervously, and glanced down at her fumbling fingers, suddenly feeling a wave of insecurity wash over her.

"What about him?" She mumbled nervously.

There was a loud guffaw and then the bed sank and Rachel glanced up from underneath her eyelashes to see Quinn staring at her skeptically, her legs crossed.

"Rachel, I'm your friend now, you can talk about him if you'd like." Quinn encouraged, reaching out and grasping Rachel's hand, squeezing it lightly.

Rachel still wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about him, so she shrugged her shoulders, "We're fine I guess." She mumbled, and glanced down, "Quinn, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Quinn said, brightening, "What is it?"

"Did you love Noah?" The brunette asked carefully, continuing to pick at her fingers. She didn't want to cross an unknown boundary with Quinn since she didn't know if they had progressed to the whole 'talk about boys' in the stage of their friendship.

Rachel gauged Quinn's reaction, pleased when the girl looked up thoughtfully, no signs of anger across his face.

"Y'know, everyone says at this day and age, it's impossible to experience true love, but with Puck there is not even a feeling imaginable. When I think of love, what I had with Puck seemed like love to me. He was my everything, and I still consider him my everything."

Rachel stared at the blonde never realizing the girl had so many emotions she clearly needed to express more often.

"That's actually pretty adorable," Rachel admitted sheepishly, "although I could never see Noah being romantic in any way." She let out a nervous giggle, hoping she didn't offend the blonde.

Quinn perked up quickly, nodding her head, "Exactly! Me either, but one day he just changed in my eyes." The blonde murmured, sort of in a daze and Rachel smiled amused.

"I remember one Halloween a few years back, he dressed up as a farm boy and I was a beautiful princess, and he just leaned down and whispered that I was a dream come true." Quinn said, smiling widely and Rachel almost felt uncomfortable sitting in the room when the blonde was in her own little Noah Puckerman world.

So the brunette remained quiet and allowed the blonde to think about whatever she was thinking.

She figured the blonde wouldn't want to be interrupted with her thoughts, so she occupied herself by looking around the blonde's room.

Pictures of Santana, Brittany, and Quinn were all placed in friendship frames throughout the room. And Rahel couldn't help thinking she had no pictures of any friends in her own room.

Quinn also had pictures of family surrounding the room, and one picture stood out in particular to Rachel the most. It was an adorable little picture of a young Quinn Fabray, posing with who Rachel assumed to be her sister. They were at a zoo from the looks of it and Quinn was grinning wildly, and there was one large polar bear in the enclosure behind the two girls, swimming in ocean blue water and pressed up against the glass.

Rachel found it quite cute and couldn't help but blushing.

But at that point, Quinn had dragged herself out of her thoughts, and was whipped back into reality.

When Rachel turned to glance at the blonde, the girl was turning on the television, and hopping up from the bed.

Rachel watched the blonde head towards the stairs.

When the blonde reached the bottom, she turned flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder and giving Rachel a wide smile, "I'm going to go get some popcorn, you want some?" The blonde chirped and Rachel nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Alright, I'll be back." Quinn announced, and the blonde walked up the flight of stairs, disappearing from Rachel's sight.

The brunette rested her head back against the headboard and watched whatever Quinn had turned on.

It was some stupid scary movie with mutant creatures, chasing after some people in the woods. She heard the sound of feet on the floor above her but she ignored it. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and opened it.

_**Has she slaughtered you yet?**_

That was one message from Kurt.

The other was from Mercedes.

_**Be careful gurl. Xoxoxo. **_

Rachel felt her eyes roll instinctively, and she shut her phone, just as a pair of feet descended down the stairs.

Rachel glanced up to see Quinn galloping down the stairs, a bowl of overflowing popcorn in one hand and a set of drinks in the other.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I just grabbed some Diet Coke." Quinn mumbled, blushing ever so slightly, before handing Rachel one of the canned drinks.

The brunette took it eagerly, and with her fingers snapped it open.

Quinn smiled, walking back to the stairs and flicking off the lights. The room was filled with darkness and Rachel took a large intake of breath when Quinn sank down next to her.

"Sorry it's just me." Quinn murmured, and Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin when hearing how close the girl actually was.

Rachel laid back against the headboard, and listened to Quinn adjust a few times and then settle back in a similar position.

"What are we watching?" The blonde groaned when a woman on the screen fell out of a tree.

"A scary movie." Rachel replied, turning her eyes from the screen for a split second, then quickly turning back to the light.

"Oh really, Rach." Quinn retorted sarcastically and Rachel turned to shoot her a fiery gaze.

"Funny." She hissed back.

Quinn chuckled throatily which caused Rachel to giggle and then they were having a laughing fit.

Quinn got this adorable wide-eyed look, while Rachel had her signature upside down smirk.

After they got through with laughing Quinn ran a hand through her hair, then smiled at Rachel, "No offense, but I could have never seen us being friends." The blonde murmured, shooting Rachel a sheepish smile.

Rachel rolled her eyes dismissively, "Don't worry about it, I couldn't either." She said, smiling at the blonde softly.

Quinn stared at the brunette for a beat longer before turning back to the television to ask her next question, "Since you asked me," The blonde started, still averting her gaze, "did you actually love Finn?" The blonde hesitated, glancing at the brunette warily, "I mean even though he wasn't a good boyfriend, did you still truly love him?" The blonde puckered her lips to the side curiously, while Rachel thought over her answer before replying.

"I thought I did at one point," She admitted, "but now I'm not so sure. He'll always have a special place in my heart, but I don't love him like I used to." She murmured then quickly added, "and he wasn't always a jerk... He had his sweet moments."

Quinn huffed, tilting her head to the side, a skeptic look crossing her face, "How so?" She questioned, and at the point the movie flickering on the television screen was long forgotten.

Rachel licked her lips, then titled her head to the side, "For example," she started, "one time he was at my house and he was getting ready to leave. He just turned around, grabbed my cheeks and kissed me on the forehead, and said, "I love you sweetie" then left." She murmured, blushing at the distant memory.

It was quiet for a moment and Rachel couldn't help but glancing up and trying to see what Quinn's reaction was.

The blonde had a wide smirk set on her face, and Rachel felt embarrassed under Quinn's gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that, creep!" Rachel mumbled shyly, glancing up at the television just in time to see a man get hit by a car, and a woman screaming on the side of the highway.

The brunette grimaced, scrunching her face up in disgust. She turned back to Quinn who still had the widest smug smirk on her face.

"That's so cute!" The blonde shrieked throwing her hands up and clasping them around Rachel's own neck.

"Sure Quinn!" Rachel groaned into the blonde's hair.

When Quinn released her a few seconds later, Rachel subtly smoothed down her shirt, shooting the blonde a wary smile.

"I'd never see that butt brain called a boy doing anything sweet." Quinn said, glancing at Rachel, checking to see if the blonde had offended her.

"Me either." Rachel said distractedly, getting lost in her own little distant memory. She felt the butterflies she had once had for Finn flutter up her stomach, and fly around for a few moments until the butterflies got bored and Rachel was back in reality in Quinn's room.

Rachel glanced at Quinn's wall trying to figure out a new conversation to strike up.

Spotting the picture of Quinn, Santana, and Brittany. The brunette figured that would be a good topic to start on.

"How long have you known Santana and Brittany?" Rachel asked, glancing at the blonde, who turned to her, then looked up at the picture that had caught Rachel's attention.

The blonde smiled faintly at the recognition of the picture. "Only since freshman year although I'm pretty sure Santana and I had met each other and at a cheerleading camp when we were younger." Quinn recalled, glancing at Rachel and giving her a mere shrug.

"Who are you closer with?" Rachel pressed curiously, popping in the last few pieces of popcorn into her mouth.

"Santana, definitely," Quinn said without any hesitation, "I love Britt and all, but she does have the tendency to get a little annoying. Just because, I can't relate to her in some ways, y'know?" Quinn asked, glancing up at Rachel with wide hazel eyes.

"I understand. And no one could ever replace Santana as your best friend?" Rachel pushed trying to understand why she was feeling a tug of jealousy in the pit of her stomach.

Quinn pursued her lips, "It's unlikely. But who knows after college. It might change." Quinn mused, flashing her set of white teeth at Rachel.

Rachel nodded turning back to the television screen for a split second, before Quinn's angelic voice cut through the silence, "Who would your best friend be?" The blonde asked.

The brunette thought over this before glancing at Quinn sheepishly, "Probably nobody, I'm kind of happy being by myself." Rachel answered, ducking her head, and letting a curtain of her brown hair hide half of her face from Quinn.

"That's really depressing, Rach." Quinn admitting giving Rachel a sympathetic smile, and hitting the girls knee with her own, "what about Kurt and Mercedes?"

Rachel giggled, "They're supportive, but I wouldn't say they are my best friends. And speaking of the two, I'm pretty sure they are both convinced you hate them." Rachel said giggling and rolling her eyes.

She heard Quinn gasp, and the blonde was quick to defend herself, "I don't hate them, I just don't know them all that well!" She glanced down and licked her lips before glancing back up, "Like today for example, you were talking to them and I kind of felt like I was intruding on your guys conversation. But, Rach, you gotta tell them I don't hate either one of them." Quinn begged giving Rachel a wide-eyed, pleading look.

"Of course Quinn," Rachel murmured, a wide grin flashing on her face.

They shared a smile and Quinn held Rachel's gaze for a long second before beginning to feel little goosebumps on her back. The blonde quickly turned glancing back at the television screen.

Seconds later, she was dying of laughter when the evil woodland creatures began setting the little cabin on fire. Quinn through her squinted eyes, saw Rachel giving her an amused look.

"Who picked this movie?" She asked in a state of wonder, and Rachel gasped.

"You did!"

Quinn began laughing even harder and with Rachel seeing Quinn dying of laughter, she joined in, and soon they were sprawled on the bed, clutching their stomachs. There were tears in both of their eyes, and they couldn't for the life of them figure out why they were laughing so hard.

A knock sounded on the door interrupted them.

Rachel glanced up to see Quinn's father, Russell, standing there an amused expression on his face.

"Girls, remember we got to get up early, so I suggest you guys catch some shut eye soon." The man suggested and both girls nodded quickly.

"Okay then, goodnight ladies." He chuckled throatily.

"Goodnight!" They crooned, and glanced at each other, which then started a whole new laughing fest.

* * *

><p>It was dark in the room and Rachel could hear the sound of the wind howling outside the windows.<p>

She could feel the warmth of Quinn Fabray sleeping beside her.

Rachel had offered to sleep on the floor because, she didn't know what was considered normal at a normal sleepover between two teenage girls. Quinn had given her an incredulous and laughed loudly at Rachel's suggestion. "No silly!" Quinn had said, "you are going to sleep with me on the bed, like normal people!"

And now this left the brunette wide awake.

And then a voice fluttered in the darkness and Rachel felt comforted at the angelic sound.

"Rach, you okay?" Quinn's voice fluttered over to Rachel's ears, and it sounded like music.

The sound of a sleepy Quinn Fabray was most likely the best sound in the world.

Almost better than Barbara.

"You're still up Quinn?" Rachel breathed, rolling on her side so she could try and let her eyes adjust to the blonde's form.

"I've been in and out of sleep." Quinn muttered with a shrug, copying Rachel's movements and turning on her own side.

Rachel took in Quinn's bright but tired hazel eyes. She took in the short messy blonde hair and the soft smile on the girls lips. It was one of the only times Rachel thought Quinn looked completely normal. And even looking normal the blonde was still absolutely stunning. It was almost comforting, and it stroked Rachel's ego just a bit, knowing a gorgeous girl like Quinn could look like someone normal like Rachel Berry.

"I'm sorry." Rachel whispered, shutting her eyes and just listening to the sound of the wind howling outside, and the sound of Quinn's even breathing.

"No big deal." Quinn whispered, her breath fanning Rachel's face, "Want me to put on some music?" Quinn asked and Rachel nodded, mumbling out a hushed yes.

When the bed shifted, Rachel waited patiently for the sound of a pop singer, but relaxed when the sound of normal music floated through the speakers.

The soft voice of Christina Perri floated throughout the room, and Quinn sank back down into the bed. Rachel waited for the blonde to settle before she breathed out shyly, "Thank you for being my friend." The brunette glanced at Quinn's face whose hazel eyes were searching her own brown ones.

The blonde licked her lips before replying, "No problem, Rach." She whispered, "and if it really means that much to you... I'll help you become more popular and teach you how to be more self-confident." The blonde whispered, turning on her back and looking at the ceiling.

Rachel felt a wave of gratitude float over her and she smiled brightly, "Thank you Quinn." She whispered and she watched the blonde nod, and let out a whisk of air.

"Good night, Rach." The blonde whispered, and Rachel turned onto her stomach, trying to get more comfortable.

"Good night, Quinn, sweat dreams." Rachel whispered, shutting her eyes and letting sleep wash over her.

The last thing she registered before falling into her own dream world was Quinn's raspy, angelic voice whispering sweet dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: 

When Rachel woke up the next morning she wasn't in her own bed.

And someone that wasn't her stuffed teddy bear, Bobby, was cuddled up to her backside.

She knew for a fact she wasn't at her house.

Because, if she were at her house, she wouldn't have an arm wrapped around her waist, and she wouldn't feel warm breath against her neck.

Without moving to much, as to not wake the stranger that was behind her, she glanced backwards and saw a peaceful face. Her eyes traced over the blonde hair that was splayed in every direction on the polka-dotted pillow, and the plump lips that were just barely parted in an adorable way.

And then Rachel remembered where she was, and the previous nights events flooded her memory.

She was at Quinn's house, and speaking of Quinn, the blonde was cuddled up to her awfully close. Rachel could feel the heat of the girl up against her back, and warm breath tickling the back of her neck.

Rachel ignored the way her own body increased in temperature, and the way her heart beat kicked up a notch.

So instead, the brunette tried not to think to much about the current position the two girls were in, and she set her head back down on the pillow. Just embracing the feeling of having the blonde so close to her.

She had never really cuddled with anyone except Finn, and it was awkward with the boy. Her nose had been in his armpit and he had a serious case of some disgusting odor. He had fallen asleep on her, crushing her to his chest, and it was the most uncomfortable experience she had ever had.

But thankfully, the blonde behind her fit perfectly into her body, and her arm that was wrapped possessively around her waist held just enough pressure, and she didn't smell bad whatsoever. She smiled wholesome. She smiled like a girl.

Which was good, because, if Quinn was a boy, Rachel would be slightly freaked out.

She glanced at the alarm clock out of the corner of her eye, and noticed they were supposed to get up in a few minutes anyway, so she decided it'd be best to enjoy her last few moments of being so close to the blonde.

She listened to the girls even breathing, and wondered what the girl was dreaming about.

She assumed that since it was Quinn Fabray she was dreaming of being on top of the pyramid at a Cheerios tournament, her head held high and face gleaming as she flipped off the top and landed perfectly on the ground below, only to place the Cheerios number one in the nation and get them a trophy.

Or she could be dreaming about Puck, and all of her times spent with him.

The possibilities were endless with Quinn. Especially since Rachel was just now beginning to see the new side of this girl.

She turned ever so slightly just to see the girls face.

She prayed the girl wouldn't wake up and catch the brunette staring at her, but she still didn't look away. Instead she just watched the girl's chest rise and fall, and the way her mouth was just barely parted and she looked so peaceful that Rachel didn't want any loud noise to happen so the blonde wouldn't wake up.

She looked so peaceful and Rachel didn't want anything to interrupt that.

But then the door opened at the top of the stairs and light flooded into the dark room, and Rachel's wish evaporated into thin air.

Rachel gasped, quickly turning and laying down. She pretended to be asleep as she heard the sounds of feet walking down the steps, and she felt Quinn shift behind her and cuddle herself even closer to the brunette, and at this point Rachel could feel the girls breath centimeters from her neck, and her body erupted in goosebumps and her heart accelerated and she shut her eyes, trying not to freak out.

"Quinn." Russell's deep voice muttered, and Rachel felt the bed sink slightly as the man shook the blonde behind her.

"Wha-" Quinn groaned, gripping Rachel harder and digging her head further into the girl's neck, obviously trying to ignore the man.

"Quinn, it's time to get up." The man repeated, and shook her harder, and she felt Quinn groan, and the sound vibrated through the girls body, and Rachel almost giggled when she felt it.

"I don't wanna." Quinn muttered in a sleepy voice, but inevitably rolled over and faced her father, "I'm up," she mumbled, "we'll be upstairs in a few minutes."

Rachel rolled over to the opposite side, pretending she had just woken up as well. She felt clever when the man smiled at her, obviously convinced of her little act. She smiled up at Quinn's father, "Good morning Mr. Fabray." She said, her voice cracking from sleep.

"Morning Rachel." The man said and got off the bed, "be up in fifteen minutes, girls, we want to head out soon."

They both nodded and watched as the man walked up the stairs and shut the door behind him.

Rachel automatically stretched her arms above her head and let out a loud yawn, while Quinn scratched her head and glanced around the room, her face still expressing she'd rather be sleeping.

"Sorry I cuddled up to you," Quinn muttered, yawning and shifting so her feet were off the bed, "force of habit." She excused, flashing Rachel a closed lipped smile before turning and heading into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

Rachel smiled, feeling heat rise to her cheeks, but she dismissed the fact that the blonde had curled up to her and pushed herself off the bed. She quickly made her way towards her bag she had brought over and opened it, searching through the clothes that were inside and glancing at the bathroom door.

"Hey Quinn?" She muttered, just loud enough so the blonde would be able to hear her.

"Yeah?" A muffled reply was heard, and then the door was opening and Quinn was poking her head out, a toothbrush shoved inside her mouth.

"How cold is it going to be?" Rachel asked, amused at the cuteness of the blonde.

Quinn shrugged her shoulders, "It was snowing there last my dad checked, so however cold that is." And then the door was shutting and the running water was going again, and Rachel was stuck looking at her clothes in her bag.

She had never been one for cold weather and she didn't have many winter clothes. She quickly pulled down her pants and reached for the jeans she had brought, she put her feet in, and yanked the material up to her waist and snapped the button closed.

She ran one hand through her hair as she threw on one of her many dance recitals sweatshirts on top of her shirt. She rolled up the sleeves and glanced down at her bag.

There was a pair of boots and then nothing else.

God, she wasn't prepared for this.

And to top it off when Quinn walked out of the bathroom, she had a snow suit folded across one of her arms and she was wearing a winter hat, and the ends of her blonde hair were peeking out of the sides.

Rachel glanced up guiltily, giving the girl a sheepish smile while Quinn smirked. "Need some clothes?" She murmured.

The brunette nodded her head, and Quinn chuckled setting her snow suit on the bed and walking over towards another door in the room.

Rachel heard the sounds of the girl fumbling around, and she took the last few steps to the door to see what the blonde was doing. She leaned against the door frame and examined the blonde who was bent over in a box and was searching for something.

Rachel couldn't resist letting out a giggle at the ridiculousness of the girl's position.

"Shut up!" Quinn hissed, glaring at Rachel from over her shoulder before sitting up right and throwing a coat and hat in Rachel's direction.

Rachel grinned wildly, and threw the coat on over her sweatshirt before turning and heading back towards her suitcase. She sat herself down on the ground and threw on her boots, casting a glance at Quinn who was putting on her own shoes.

By the time Rachel finished lacing up the left shoe, Quinn had her arms crossed against her chest, one eyebrow raised, and was giving Rachel an amused look.

"Hurry up slow poke, we don't have all day." Quinn teased, and Rachel shot her an irritated look.

She shoved on her other boot and stood up right, smoothing her hair down and sticking out her bottom lip at the blonde, "You're a bitch." She retorted, reaching for her hat and shoving it in the coat's pocket.

Quinn's mouth opened wide, and her hazel eyes were surprised, "Rachel Berry just cursed! Call the paparazzi."

Rachel rolled her eyes, annoyed by Quinn's teasing and she huffed stubbornly, strutting past the girl, and making sure to hit the blonde's shoulder as she made her way towards the stairs.

But before she could step up onto the first step she was being yanked backwards and she came face first into the girl's shoulder, and felt blonde hair tickling her forehead.

"Quinn!" Her yelp was muffled by Quinn's jacket and she could feel the blonde vibrating against her with laughter.

"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." Quinn mocked, and squeezed the girl once before letting her go and raising her eyebrows up in mock apology.

"Oh whatever." Rachel groaned, rolling her eyes and smiling at the blonde, truly feeling for the first time like she actually had a friend.

"Ready to go?" Quinn asked, cocking her head towards the stairs.

"Ready." Rachel murmured, and she was quickly following Quinn up the stairs, ready to head towards Columbus.

* * *

><p>They weren't even out of the Lima when Judy was begging Russell to stop the car so they could get paint and decorate the car.<p>

"It's called being good fans!" Judy insisted, as she looked up at her husband with wide eyes, and a pout held on her face.

Rachel watched the couple amused, while Quinn ducked her head in embarrassment.

In a way the Fabray's reminded her of her fathers, minus the fact that it was a man and woman arguing. But this would be something her two dads would fight over.

"The store is totally out of the way!" Russell countered, "and I want to make sure I can get there on time so I can talk with the other guys."

"Please, Russ! Honey cakes?" The woman pleaded, her face falling even more.

_'Honey cakes?' _Rachel grimaced, glancing at Quinn who looked like she was going to throw up.

Rachel herself, was not fond of pet names and the fact that the two adults sitting in front of them were calling each other cheesy ass names, was disgusting her and making her stomach curl.

"Fine." Russell grumbled, and they were pulling off the highway and heading towards the nearest market.

Judy clapped her hands excitedly, and smiled at the two teenage girls in the backseat. "You guys can write on the windows!" She said excitedly, and Rachel couldn't help but get the feeling Judy was one of those mom's that liked to be a cool mom, and pretend she was sixteen, "Rachel, honey, do you have a boyfriend on the team? You can write his name on the car!"

Rachel glanced at Quinn, who had an apologetic but sympathetic smile on her face.

"I don't actually." Rachel replied, giving the woman a sheepish smile.

"Oh," Judy muttered, "well that's okay you can just write 'Go Titan's' or something!"

Rachel nodded and before she could say anything else, Russell was looking up at Quinn in the rear view mirror, "Didn't you date a boy on the football team a few years back? He was a bad kid, Nick, Nate-" The man stopped, pondering for the name of one Noah Puckerman.

"Noah?" Quinn muttered, her head falling ever so slightly. Rachel almost didn't even notice the change in the girl's posture, other than the fact that she didn't look as happy as she did a few minutes prior.

"Yeah, Noah! The Puckerman kid. I didn't like him." Russell growled, "You don't talk to him anymore do you?"

"No daddy." Quinn mumbled and Russell nodded, and the conversation ended since they were pulling up into the parking lot and Judy was cheering like a little girl.

"Okay guys, I'll go in and get the paint!" She exclaimed, and was bounding out of the door in seconds.

When the door slammed shut it got awkwardly quiet in the car, and Rachel flicked her gaze from Russell back to Quinn every few seconds.

Russell obviously feeling the tension in the car, fumbled with the radio and turned on some old country music on and Rachel grimaced, wanting to plug her ears.

She glanced at Quinn who had been quiet for the past minute, and she noticed the girl's eyebrows were knitted together and her hazel orbs had a hint of sadness in them.

Rachel risked a glance up at the man in the front seat, before shifting her boot over towards Quinn's jean clad legs and bumping the girls leg with the toe of her boot.

When she caught the blonde's attention, and Quinn looked at her, Rachel cocked both eyebrows up and mouthed _are you okay? _

Quinn licked her lips, before nodding, although her she didn't look convincing whatsoever, so Rachel kicked the girl's leg again when the blonde turned away to look out the car window. When they made eye contact, Rachel raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side skeptically.

Quinn huffed loudly, and rolled her eyes, _I'll be fine, _she mouthed back and settled deeper into the seat.

Although, Rachel wasn't fully convinced; she didn't press the subject anymore and she glanced up at Russell who was nodding his head to the rhythm of the song.

Rachel was stuck with thumping her head back against the seat, and looking around the car. It was a minivan and it was big and white, and it was cluttered with Cheerio's things for Quinn, and Rachel couldn't help but thinking that the Fabray family was one of those really supportive families, but they didn't actually know anything about their kids.

Noticing when she shifted in her seat a few times, Quinn smirked and turned around fumbling in the back of the car for a few seconds and turning back to Rachel, a DVD in her hand.

"What's that?" Rachel asked unintelligibly.

Quinn let out a giggle, and glanced up to the roof of the car, where a small screen was hanging down, and a DVD player was above it.

"Oh my gosh, I've always wanted one of those cars!" Rachel exclaimed, her face breaking into a wide smile, which caused Russell to look back, and chuckle in amusement.

Rachel reached for the case and examined the cover to see it was the recent version of The Karate Kid. And she cocked one eyebrow up, "Is it any good?" She asked the blonde.

Quinn shrugged her shoulders, "I liked it."

Rachel pursed her lips to the side before shrugging and reaching for the roof of the car and fumbling with the player. After a few seconds of struggling, she managed to pop open the player and put the disc inside. She closed it carefully, and glanced at Quinn, waiting for the girl to tell her what to do next.

The blonde reached underneath her seat and came up with a tiny hand held remote and she began to fast forward through the previews when a tan hand shot out to stop her, "Hey, I like the previews!" Rachel complained, while Quinn stared at her for a second before shrugging and setting the remote down in the brunette's lap.

After the first two previews were done playing for some new Disney movies, a knock on the car window distracted Rachel from the screen and she saw Judy outside of the car, the wind making her long blonde hair flow in the window.

Rachel grinned and shot Quinn and glance before she was reaching for the handle to exit the car.

Once they both landed on concrete, they turned to Judy and reached for the paint stick at the same time.

When their hands closed around it, Rachel cocked her eyebrows at Quinn challengingly.

"It's mine, Fabray." She ordered, pulling the paint stick towards her.

Quinn laughed loudly, "No way, Berry. Me first." She yanked the paint stick towards her and Rachel came tumbling towards the blonde.

Rachel noticed they were inches away but she ignored it when she saw the blonde's teasing gaze.

"Quinn." Rachel muttered sternly.

"Rachel." Quinn retorted in a mocking voice.

Rachel huffed stubbornly and pulled the stick towards her, and tried to pry it out of Quinn's grasp with her free hand.

But the blonde was awfully strong and she had one arm wrapped around Rachel's waist, trying to yank the brunette away, while her other arm was bent slightly, with her fist wrapped around the stick.

"Give it to me, Rach!" Quinn giggled, her fingers digging into Rachel's sides and trying to use the tickle trick to get the brunette to release it.

But Rachel wasn't having that and she jumped up and down, hoping her movement's would eventually yank the stick out of her hands.

Quinn let out a grunt, and was-

"It's a stick of paint! Quit being five!" Judy exclaimed, as she watched the interaction with her arms across her chest.

Rachel blushed, and glanced at Quinn sheepishly.

Judy was right, they were being a little bit immature.

"Okay, you're right," Rachel muttered, releasing the paint stick, and surrendering to the blonde, "you can have it, Quinn."

Quinn cocked her eyebrows, "No Rachel, it's quite alright, you can have it." The blonde gave a polite smile and held out the paint stick towards the brunette.

Rachel shook her head, "Quinn, I said you have it."

"But I want you to have it." Quinn replied.

"You." Rachel said, shaking her head firmly.

"You!" Quinn replied, crossing her arms over her chest, and leaning so her weight was rested on wide side.

"Stop!" Judy groaned, coming up between the two and yanking the stick out of the blonde's hand and forcefully putting it in Rachel's hand, "There. This is settled, I'm getting in the car now." Judy said in an annoyed voice before turning and walking back towards the passenger door of the car.

It only took a second of looking at each other before both Quinn and Rachel were cracking up laughing, and the blonde was grinning so wide, Rachel thought it looked painful.

"We obviously need to work on this stubbornness thing." Quinn mused, and Rachel nodded her head, uncapping the stick and turning towards the car.

She quickly wrote out in fancy script _Go McKinley _before turning back to Quinn and holding out the glue stick.

The blonde quickly grabbed it and headed over to the backseat windows before writing out _Let's Go Titans! Kick some butt!_

Rachel couldn't help but noticing how Quinn's handwriting was messy, and it looked like a little girls, and it was adorable yet awkward all rolled up into a form of handwriting.

It could be a new style of font, if Rachel thought about it. The Quinn Fabray!

And then Rachel realized she was staring at the window and analyzing handwriting.

She was so odd sometimes.

She shook her head and noticed Quinn was watching her, and the blonde was smirking, the tiniest twinkle in her eye. "You want to write anything else?"

Rachel glanced at the window and nodded, holding her hand out for the paint stick. The blonde placed it in her hand and she turned, walking over to the other side of the car in the other back seat window, she raised her hand to the glass and quickly scribbled out, _Rachel is better than Quinn._

"Really, Rachel?" She heard the blonde groan behind her.

Rachel glanced over her shoulder, and grinned, "Love you!" She taunted, and opened the car door, hopping in and leaving Quinn Fabray outside.

The brunette glanced out the window at Quinn's shocked expression, and she couldn't help sinking further into her seat and thinking it was going to be a very exciting day.

* * *

><p>Jaden Smith was kicking ass on the small television screen.<p>

Judy and Russell were talking in the front seat quietly to themselves.

The sound of cars beside them on the highway was heard through the windows.

But for the life of her, Rachel couldn't concentrate on any of it.

Because, something in her stomach was twisting, and she felt like her whole body was being electrocuted. She had no idea, what if felt like to be electrocuted. But she could only assume it was what she was feeling at that moment.

She had never felt so on edge before. She had never felt the shots of tingles going through her body.

Quite frankly, it scared the hell out of her.

And she was having a mental war in her head over the situation she was in.

Quinn Fabray was laying on her.

Not in the 'oh-I-fell-asleep-and-am-laying-on-your-shoulder' way. In the 'totally-passed-out-in-your-lap' way.

The girls face was in her lap, and she was facing upwards towards the roof of the car, and she looked so peaceful that Rachel was afraid if she moved she'd wake the girl up. And she really didn't want to wake her up.

The blonde's hair was sticking out in every direction, and she looked like a lion cub. She looked absolutely adorable and Rachel was debating whether or not she wanted to be the girl, or whether she wanted to lean down and give the blonde a kiss that would leave her breathless.

_'Wait? I want to kiss her? No way. This cannot be happening. No, no, no.' _

Rachel felt a wave of nausea float through her body, and she looked out the window and bit her bottom lip, trying to calm down the fireworks that were shooting off in her stomach.

She had always thought girls were beautiful.

But didn't every girl?

Rachel always assumed every girl had that stage where they thought they could actually be attracted to the opposite sex, didn't they?

Girls were naturally more attached than boys were. Girls could stare at another girls jeans and think those jeans were nice, and seconds later realize they were actually staring at a girls ass. That happened to every girl didn't it?

At least Rachel thought so because, she actually had gone through that phase.

But she realized she didn't like girls.

She did not like girls.

She liked boys.

She liked Finn Hudson.

But Quinn did look awfully cute and-

_'No Rachel, you are not allowed to have these thoughts. I do not like Quinn Fabray. I like boys. Boys, boys, boys. Boys are beautiful. Girls are gross. Quinn's my friend. I can't screw this up. If word got out that Rachel Berry had a crush on a girl, Quinn Fabray nonetheless, the teasing would be relentless. So no, I do not like Quinn Fabray. Oh god, she's moving.' _Rachel's inner monologue was finished when the blonde peeled her eyes open, and hazel eyes were staring up at her own chocolate ones through half lidded eyelids.

"Hi." Quinn whispered, giving the brunette a close lipped smile.

"Hey." Rachel replied, giving the blonde a smirk.

Quinn heaved herself upward to a sitting position, and glanced up towards the front of the car, and then back at Rachel.

"How much longer?"

"Twenty minutes." Russell muttered, glancing over his shoulder and giving his daughter an amused look at her appearance.

Quinn nodded, licked her lips and ran a hand through her hair, attempting to smooth it down.

She glanced at Rachel out of the corner of her eye, who unconsciously had her eyes glued to Quinn.

Rachel was still having the next World War going off in her head, with all the screaming she was doing at herself.

"Do you have your phone?" Quinn asked, her hands falling and hitting the seat.

Rachel nodded her head and leaned forward to grip her phone in her back pocket. She glanced down at the screen before handing the device over to Quinn who quickly went to the camera, and gave Rachel an upside down smile.

"Take a picture with me!" Quinn whined, and held the phone out in front of her with one hand, and with her other she yanked Rachel closer to her.

Rachel groaned, but flashed a wide grin and Quinn did the same.

After the picture was taken Quinn turned around and groaned, "Your phone sucks, it didn't take it!"

The brunette chuckled and yanked the phone from Quinn's grasp and held it out so she could take it. She heard the shutter click and she flipped the phone over to examine the picture.

Quinn had a small smile on her face, but a twinkle in her hazel eyes. While Rachel was grinning so wide that her eyes were squinted and she looked stupid.

"Oh god, no." Rachel complained, touching the screen to delete the photo but before she could, Quinn was fighting for the phone.

"No, it's cute! Don't delete it."

"I'm squinting!"

"I don't care, don't delete it!"

"Quinn."

"Rachel!"

The brunette groaned, and set the phone aside, giving Quinn an annoyed look before glancing back up at the television screen to see the credits of the movie playing. She pursed her lips to the side and glanced out the window as they entered the city limits of Columbus.

"You guys hungry?" Judy asked, turning in her seat and smiling at the two girls.

Quinn took one look at Rachel, and they both got the same idea.

"Starving!"

* * *

><p>"Rachel, can you zip me up?" Quinn asked, glancing over her shoulder at the brunette who was still sitting in the car and was pulling her long hair up into a ponytail.<p>

Judy and Russell were already making their way to the stadium, and Rachel glanced longingly after them.

Of course she'd get stuck with having to zip up the blonde.

She didn't even know if she could handle this after her thoughts she was having in the car earlier.

But instead she mumbled a nervous yes and pulled her hat on her head before hopping out of the car and landing on the wet concrete right behind the blonde.

Rachel felt like she was in the midst of a life or death situation and the fate of Quinn's life was in the palm of her hands. When in fact, she was panicking of actually zipping up the blonde's snowsuit. And she knew in that moment she was truly the biggest diva on the face of the Earth.

_'She's just a girl. I need to calm down.' _One side of Rachel's brain thought realistically.

_'A girl you want to undress.' _The other side of Rachel's brain thought truthfully.

_'No, no, no, no. I like boys. I like Finn Hudson.' _Back to Rachel's realistic side, and she shook her head trying to ignore the voices talking to her.

Rachel's eyes traced over Quinn's body, and she watched as the blonde held up her short hair, just enough so Rachel could fully zip up the snowsuit.

The brunette closed the distance as she stepped closer to the back of the blonde's body, closer than she needed to, and she realized this when the blonde took a sharp intake of breath. Rachel noticed the blonde's body freeze, and she almost felt guilty, but she made no move to step back.

Her hands lifted, shaking ever so slightly as she gripped the zipper between her forefinger and her thumb. She slowly slid it up, listening to the sound of the snowsuit attaching together, and when she inched higher and higher to the blonde's neck, Rachel's breath became shallower, and her heart sped up faster in her chest, mostly due to the fact that she could brush her fingers along Quinn's neck if she wanted to.

She licked her lips once more before she pulled the zipper all the way to the top, and she couldn't help brushing her fingertips gently across Quinn's neck before taking a step back and trying to find the air that had escaped her lungs.

She watched the blonde's back, and noticed how the girl finally started to breathe normally again, and when the blonde turned to look at her, Rachel's breath caught in her throat at the seductive look that was held in those hazel eyes.

"Thanks." Quinn said softly, her voice floating into Rachel's ears, and the blonde smiled smugly, almost as if she could read Rachel's mind, and knew what buttons to push on the brunette.

The blonde turned abruptly and began walking towards the sidewalk and towards the front entrance of the stadium.

When Rachel could feel her feet she quickly slammed the car door shut and followed the blonde.

As she jumped onto the sidewalk, she couldn't help but notice the snow that was piled up in the grass.

She smirked, and reached down gripping some snow in her hands and shaping it up in a ball. She looked up to see Quinn just a few feet away, and she stood straight and reared her hand back. And without much force she threw her arm forward, and watched as the ball hit the back of the blonde's head, and the snow splattered everywhere.

The blonde didn't turn around immediately, and Rachel smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

When the blonde slowly turned and gave her an evil look, Rachel just cocked her eyebrows up in a challenge.

"I'll get you back for that Berry." Quinn declared.

"Planning on it, Fabray." Rachel taunted, before walking up towards the blonde and smiling wildly. "Let's go find some seats."

The brunette walked forward towards the booths and glanced over her shoulder, raising one hand and beckoning the blonde with her finger. She turned back around and handed the man in the booth her ticket and pushed through the gates.

She waited patiently for the blonde on the other side, and when Quinn was standing beside her, Rachel smiled up at her.

"Are you mad because, I hit you with a ball of snow?" Rachel teased, cocking her eyebrows up and giving the blonde an innocent pout.

"Furious." Quinn retorted, before punching the brunette in the shoulder and walking past her making her way to the seats.

* * *

><p>Rachel found out that Quinn was quite the dedicated fan of the McKinley Titans.<p>

The blonde's voice was cracking as she stood, gripping the edges of her snowsuit and screamed out a Titans chant.

Rachel gaped up at the blonde and glanced around at the crowd who were in similar positions as Quinn, but Rachel didn't feel the need to join in.

Sitting in her spot on the bleachers, Rachel could barely tell which football player was who. But she was vaguely aware of the quarterback, who was Finn.

Rachel didn't fully understand why the tall boy played football. He was awkward, and when he ran he looked like he was about to fall every ten seconds. Even though he was very athletic, he didn't look like he would be if you just briefly glanced at him.

"Go Titans!" Quinn screamed, throwing her fists in the air as one of the players ran towards the end zone.

Rachel stretched, and saw the boy run and run so fast that she thought his legs were going to fall off. She noticed the other team, that was dressed in blue uniforms was chasing him, but inevitably the boy was way to fast for them and he made it to the end zone with a leaping dive, scoring yet another touchdown for the McKinley Titans.

She glanced up at the clock and noticed there was two minutes left, and they were up by six.

Seven when the Titans kicked the football in between the-

She didn't know what it was called.

The yellow thing that stood up from the ground.

"We are going to win Rachel!" Quinn screamed, turning and gripping Rachel's cheeks in her hands, "we are going to win!"

"Yay!" Rachel yelled back, although she didn't really see what the big deal was, other than the fact that the boys got trophies and they got a banner up in the school.

Maybe she just really didn't understand sports.

When there was ten seconds left, and McKinley got the football back, they would call the play and hike the ball, but Finn would just bend down on one knee, running out the clock.

And soon everyone in the stands were on there feet, and heading towards the entrance gate to the field, where the football players were hugging each other, and hugging the coaches, while the other team threw their helmets on the ground in defeat.

Rachel felt bad, but at the same time she didn't.

They were sore losers if they were going to whine like babies.

"Rachel!" Quinn screamed, leaping off the bleachers and beckoning the brunette to follow her onto the field that was becoming more crowded. "Storm the field!"

Rachel's eyes widened and she shook her head no.

There was no way she was going to get dragged into that mess.

But she really didn't have a choice when she was being yanked forward.

She looked back helplessly at Quinn's parents, who shrugged when they made eye contact.

When her feet hit the grass of the field, Quinn was already sprinting off towards the crowded football players, and Rachel reluctantly followed. She spotted some kids from school, and Finn's mom talking to other parents on the field.

She licked her lips and searched for Quinn who was making a running jump towards the one and only Finn Hudson.

Rachel watched, with a hint of jealousy at the embrace, but was surprised to find she wasn't so much jealous that Quinn was hugging Finn. More that Finn was hugging Quinn.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and made her way over to the pair and smiled when she caught Finn's gaze.

"Oh, hey Rach." Finn mumbled, giving Quinn a wary smile before walking forward and giving the brunette in awkward hug.

_'Ugh, he smells and why is he so tall?' _

"Hey Finn." Rachel replied, giving him a forced smile, "good game."

"Thanks!" He replied, glancing at Quinn, "so what are you two likes friends now?"

Rachel didn't say anything and glanced at Quinn who was smiling up at the boy, "We're the best of friends, right Rach?"

The brunette felt a little spurt of happiness in her heart, and she grinned, "The best."

* * *

><p>And then just like that they were home.<p>

It's like the whole day flew about without Rachel even realizing it. And she wanted to relive it all over again.

She didn't even remember the drive home. She was aware of the fact that they watched How To Train Your Dragon, and Quinn did happen to fall asleep again, except this time it was underneath a blanket and she was curled up towards the window.

And Rachel found herself longing for the warmth of the girl laying on her.

They had stopped at a Burger King and Rachel was amazed to see Quinn swallow down so much food when she had such a little body.

With Rachel being a vegan there wasn't much on the menu to eat so she settled for a salad, while the Fabray family chewed down on so much meat, it disgusted her.

And then they were pulling up to the Fabray house, and they were hopping out of the car and Russell was telling Quinn to drive Rachel home.

And this is where she was, sitting in Quinn's passenger seat of her car and heading home.

She didn't want to be home yet.

She wanted to spend more time with Quinn.

She didn't want to be sitting in the passenger seat of Quinn's car listening to Quinn's crappy music.

She still wanted to be sitting in a crappy minivan with Quinn laying in her lap and dreaming of whatever the blonde dreamed about.

"Did you have fun?" Quinn's voice intruded Rachel's thoughts.

The brunette glanced up at the blonde who was staring at the road, "Surprisingly, yes." She mused.

"It's going to be a big deal at school on Monday." Quinn said, leaning forward to change the radio station.

"I know." Rachel groaned, leaning back so her head hit the seat with a thud.

"What, Rachel Berry not excited for her school's football team?" Quinn teased, cocking her eyebrows up.

Rachel chuckled, "I mean I am, it's just football is not my thing."

"Don't worry, it's not mine either." Quinn replied, turning the steering wheel of the car and pulling up to Rachel's house.

Rachel stared at the house and wanted to cry. It was over. Her whole day with Quinn Fabray was over, and she really didn't want it to end. She wanted to stay in the car and listen to some good music. She wanted to sit there and talk about whatever there was to talk about. She truly wanted to know everything she could about Quinn and she didn't know why.

It wasn't because, she had a crush on Quinn, because she didn't.

She just liked hanging out with Quinn that was all.

"We're here." Quinn hinted, noticing Rachel had made no move to get out of the car yet.

Rachel turned and smiled sadly, "Yeah I know."

It was quiet for a moment and Rachel figured she was probably scaring the blonde now, and she didn't want to do that so she sighed, and opened the car door reaching for her bag that lay on the car floor. Before closing the door she glanced up at the blonde who was staring at her skeptically.

"I really had fun today, Quinn." Rachel said, giving the blonde a sincere smile, "thanks for everything, y'know?"

"Anytime Rachel." Quinn replied, giving the brunette the same smile.

Rachel held onto the door for a second longer before giving the girl a tiny wave and slamming the door shut.

She turned and began the slow trek to her front door, and she was faintly listening to the sound of the car pulling out of the driveway. But when she didn't hear the car pulling away, she slowly turned and-

A force hit her squarely in the stomach and she was on the ground, grass surrounding her and a laughing blonde on top of her.

"Gotcha!" Quinn squealed, staring down at the brunette who had no oxygen in her lungs.

Rachel couldn't reply because, she was trying to calm her racing heart, and catch her breath that she had lost when the blonde tackled her.

"I told you I'd get you back!" Quinn giggled, pulling the brunette upward so she was sitting straight, and Rachel gave the blonde a wide eyed look as if she was crazy.

"Are you nuts?" Rachel growled, "you could have killed me. Or worse, gave me a concussion!"

Quinn rolled her eyes, and stood up, and practically yanked Rachel to her feet. "I'm so sorry, Rachel Berry!" Quinn mused, and then before Rachel could say anything, she was being pulled forward into Quinn's arms, in a friendly hug.

Maybe it was her developing feelings, or maybe it was the way the girl felt in her arms, but Rachel never wanted to stop hugging Quinn.

Their height difference made it perfect for Rachel to snuggle her nose into Quinn's neck, and she could feel the blonde's fingers twitching on her shoulder, and she felt the blonde's breath on her hair. She could faintly feel the girl's nose, pressed up against her hair. And she could smell Victoria's Secret perfume, and it smelled just delicious that she was tempted to flick her tongue out against the blonde's neck.

But she didn't because, that would be a turn for the worse.

So instead, she hoped the blonde couldn't hear her beating heart and she waited until the blonde's arms softened and released her.

"I'll text you later, okay?" Quinn questioned, backing up towards her car.

"Sounds good." Rachel replied, giving the blonde a smile.

Quinn nodded and giggled, turning and walking towards the drivers side of the door. She glanced at Rachel before opening it and getting in. "Bye Rach!" The blonde hollered before slamming the door shut and slowly backing out of the driveway.

The brunette raised her hand and waved slowly.

When the car was out of the sight, Rachel fell back into the grass and stared up at the dark sky.

She had never felt so happy.

She felt pure bliss.

She felt like she was high on Quinn Fabray.

And maybe it wasn't that bad of a thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: 

Rachel found herself ecstatic when Quinn sat by her on Monday.

She found herself even more ecstatic when Quinn continued to sit by her the days following.

Today, being no exception.

Quinn was dressed in a long pink dress with a white cardigan delicately placed on her shoulders. Her short hair was clipped back, and her golden cross necklace was placed directly on her collarbones, and she had a wide smile on her face as she talked to Rachel about hanging out sometime in the near future.

Mr. Schuester walked in, a pep in his step, and a dopey grin on his face as he set his folders down on the piano and giving Brad, the piano man, a friendly smile.

"Hey guys, I have some exciting news!" The teacher announced, turning and clasping his hands together, as he stood in front of the kids.

"You're finally quitting?" Santana whispered dryly behind Rachel, and the brunette couldn't help but giggling at the small comment.

It wasn't exactly a lie that the Glee kids weren't very fond of one Will Schuester.

And Rachel was no exception.

She didn't like Mr. Schuester. She thought he was a terrible excuse for a teacher. As much as she loved getting the solo's in all of the numbers, and she didn't want that to change by any means, she did feel bad for the other kids that were in the club that never got to sing. Mr. Schuester was more concerned with winning than actually caring about the kids. And he was always late coming into Glee because, he was to busy flirting with Miss Pillsbury every day, and it annoyed Rachel to no end.

"So I signed us up to sing at a homeless shelter tomorrow night!" Mr. Schuester declared, and looked excitedly at everyone.

The expressions on some of the kids faces were not what he expected.

Kurt gasped, and leaned forward in his seat, "With homeless people?"

Mr. Schue narrowed his eyes at Kurt and gave him a confused smile, "Well obviously Kurt, a homeless shelter does in fact, have homeless people."

"That's dirty!" Kurt said insulted. "And that's the best gig you could actually get us, a homeless shelter?"

Rachel licked her lips, glancing around at the other kids in the class to see their reactions.

Finn had a thoughtful smile on his face. Puck was dozing off in the back corner. Santana and Brittany were to busy talking to themselves to even notice what Mr. Schuester had actually said. Mercedes was trying to plead with Kurt. Sam Evans was looking around at everyone else, similar to what Rachel was doing. Tina and Mike were smiling as if they totally agreed with the idea. Artie had his head in his hands and he looked disappointed. And finally Rachel glanced at the blonde beside her who looked like she was lost in thought.

"I'm sorry Kurt, but we need to raise money for Regionals this year, and the shelter is offering to pay us for singing there. And that's not the only gig I got us." Mr. Schuester said, his smile returning on his face.

"What's the other gig?" Rachel spoke out loud for the first time.

"Well Friday night, as most of you know is winter dance for the freshman, and Mr. Figgins asked us to sing," Mr. Schuester said, beginning to pace the room, "now we aren't actually going to get paid for this one, but this will be a good way to get our name spread out to some of the younger kids and encourage them to join and possibly tell their parents about us. And you know how news spreads in this town, so maybe other gigs can open up for us."

"Freshman?" Kurt groaned, "oh no."

"Kurt calm down," Finn interjected, putting on his leader mask, "this is actually a good thing. Thanks Mr. Schue."

"Oh please, shut up Hudson. No one wants to hear your leadership crap." Santana moaned from her seat, shooting a look at the tall boy.

Finn rolled his eyes, "I'm trying to be a good leader-"

"No, you're actually just opening your mouth to hear yourself talk." Santana interrupted.

Insulted, Finn clenched his jaw tightly, "God, for five seconds could you quit being a such a bitch?"

"Hey guys-" Mr. Schuester started, a stern look appearing on his face.

It didn't help much though because, at that point the whole club was talking, Finn and Santana were arguing with each other, Kurt was going on about how unsanitary homeless shelters were, and everyone else was just-

"Hey!" A voice yelled, and Rachel was surprised to hear it come from the blonde sitting next to her that hadn't said a word throughout the whole class period.

Everyone slowly got quiet, and Rachel turned to stare at the blonde who was tracing her eyes over everyone in the room.

"This is obviously the best we are going to get, as of right now," Quinn growled, "and I think it's pretty damn good if you ask me. We are going to a homeless shelter, think of how many kids are going to be there. Think of how many kids we are going to make happy, just by doing what we do best?" She asked rhetorically.

"I think we all need to shut the hell up, quit complaining about every single thing, and just accept the fact that we are going to sing at a homeless shelter and at the freshman dance. I'm tired of hearing everybody complain in this damn club." She grunted, before turning facing forward and crossing her arms over her chest.

It was silent in the room, and Rachel turned to Quinn, whose expression had hardened. She swallowed loudly and nudged the girls knee with her own, trying to capture the blonde's attention.

When Quinn turned to glance at her, Rachel gave her a wide smile and nodded her head gratefully.

The blonde pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders before glancing forward again.

"Thank you, Quinn." Mr. Schuester said, taking a step towards the piano and gathering some sheet music in his hands, "anyway, so tomorrow we have to stay after school. We are going to carpool over to the shelter around four thirty, and we should be done by six. Friday, everyone needs to be at the school by six thirty, the dance starts at seven thirty and goes until nine thirty. We will take shifts singing and supervising the dance floor."

He straightened the music in his hands, before turning around and facing the teenagers again, "you can all dance and have fun as well, but don't forget when you are on your shift."

He took a few steps handing each student at least five sheets of music.

"Everyone will be singing three songs, two are duets, one is a solo." Mr. Schuester said after handing Artie his music, "I've already paired you up with your partners. So no complaining about who you get partnered up with. You will be graded on how evenly you split up the duets, and how appropriate-" Everyone noticed how Mr. Schue stared directly at Puck, "your song choices for your solos are."

He pulled out another slip of paper, and smiled at every student, "Now for tomorrow we will be singing two group numbers. Rachel, Finn, you will sing the leads for one of the numbers, and Quinn and Sam, I thought you two could try and see how good your voices blended and sing the leads for the other group number."

Rachel smiled and turned to the blonde sitting next to her. The blonde had a surprised look on her face, but didn't say anything and just simply nodded at Mr. Schuester.

Sam was smiling, and had the tiniest hint of a blush on his face.

"Sam, Quinn, your song will be Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham, and you guys will divide the lyrics up and during the chorus the whole group will sing. Rachel, Finn, your song will be Never Gonna Leave This Bed by Maroon 5, and the same thing goes for your song. Divide the lyrics up and the chorus will be everybody."

Everyone nodded, and Rachel risked a glance at the kids who didn't get a solo in the group number, and noticed everyone look disappointed. Most of them probably figured they wouldn't get a chance to sing anyway, since Mr. Schuester didn't split up song choices evenly enough.

"Now as for the dance, here are your partners." Mr. Schuester said, glancing down at the sheet of paper in his hands, "Finn and Puck; Quinn and Mercedes; Sam and Mike; Artie and Kurt; Brittany and Rachel; and Santana and Tina."

"I'm paired with the Asian?" Santana burst out, glancing at Tina who blushed and curled into Mike's side.

"Yes, no complaints." Mr. Schuester said dismissively. "I've picked out the duet numbers you will be doing, but you guys get to decide which solos you would like to sing."

"Basically this is a load of bull, we don't even get to pick the songs?" Puck groaned from the corner of room.

Mr. Schuester sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair, "You get to pick your solos. That's it."

"Bullshit." Puck mumbled, barely loud enough for anyone to hear, but Rachel caught it.

"Finn and Puck you will be singing Under Pressure by Queen, and You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall and Oates. Quinn and Mercedes you will be singing Set Fire To The Rain by Adele, and Price Tag by Jessie J. Sam and Mike you will be singing Good Life by One Republic, and Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. Artie and Kurt you will be singing It Girl by Jason Derulo, and I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. Brittany and Rachel you will be singing The One That Got Away by Katy Perry, and Love You Like A Love Song by Selena Gomez. Santana and Tina you will be singing Shake It Out by Florence and The Machine, and She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5."

Rachel nearly wanted to groan at all of the modern pop songs that were chosen to sing and she glanced at Quinn at out of the corner of her eye.

Mr. Schuester glanced around, a wide grin on his face before he set his papers down and clapped his hands together.

"Okay guys, lets start rehearsing!"

* * *

><p><strong>Hi Rachel. <strong>

_Hello Quinn._

**How are you this fine Wednesday?**

_Pretty good. How are you? _

**Pretty good, so I have a question for you? **

_Shoot._

**Would you like to come over before the dance on Friday and get ready with me? **

_Wow, in a matter of two weeks I'm going over to the Fabray household twice? I feel so special. _

**Oh shut up. But yes I am inviting you twice.**

_Well of course I'd like to hang out with you. :) _

**Great it sounds like a plan then.**

_Sweet. Are you excited to be singing tomorrow at the homeless shelter? _

**I'm actually extremely nervous. **

_What? Why? You'll do great! _

**I know, but still I'm nervous. It's the first time I'll be singing with Sam. Let alone a solo since sophomore year.  
><strong>

_He's cute. And about being nervous, just don't think about it. You'll do fine, and you'll have fun.  
><em>

**I find it funny how that's the first thing you say. He's cute. He is cute, but that doesn't make me any less nervous.  
><strong>

_Don't be!_

**I'll try not to. What song are you singing for your solo at the dance? **

_I'm thinking A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. What are you singing? _

**Somebody That I Used To Know by Goyte. **

_That's an indie song! I'm so proud of you Quinn._

**It's a good song. **

_All indie songs are good songs, Quinn._

**Indie isn't that good, Rachel. **

_But it actually is._

**Nope. **

_Quit being stubborn and admit. My music taste of indie is way better than the modern music you listen to. _

**Sorry Rachel, but I will never admit to that. **

_Only because you know it's true._

**Actually no. **

_Actually yes. _

**You are going to get punched.**

_Ouch, Quinneth Paltrow getting mad? _

**Rachel. You. Will. Get. Punched. **

_Don't like my nickname? I just came up with it on the spot. _

**Quinneth Paltrow is the worst name ever.**

_I think it's pretty awesome. _

**Goodbye Rachel. **

_Goodbye Quinneth Paltrow. :)_

* * *

><p>"Nervous?"<p>

"Not really, you?"

"Not at all."

That was all that was exchanged between Finn and Rachel while they waited to begin preforming for the homeless shelter.

When they arrived Quinn had immediately made her way over towards the tables filled with people and began talking to them politely, a warm expression on her face. Some other members of the Glee club had walked over to the little kids and began talking with them.

But Quinn, Quinn looked like she genuinely cared about what these people were saying to her.

And Rachel had leaned up against one of the walls and watched the blonde interact with the people.

Quinn, deep down, had a good heart. It was obvious.

Although she didn't seem like it sometimes, and she put on the persona she was a bitch.

Rachel knew the truth.

Quinn's parents were way to judgmental, and it affected Quinn more than she would like to admit.

And now they were standing in two rows, Quinn and Sam on the ends of the first row while they looked out at the shelter filled with people wearing sweaters and knitted hats. Children with scarves wrapped around their necks and fingerless mittens.

All the children looked adorable.

The crowd was talking and Rachel glanced at Finn who was staring straight ahead, while waiting for the signal to begin from Mr. Schuester.

Rachel figured it was the best time to lean towards the left and kick out her foot across Kurt who was standing next to her. She kicked Quinn's calf, and the blonde immediately turned around.

_"Good luck."_ Rachel mouthed, giving the girl a thumbs up.

Quinn smiled, and was opening her mouth to say something back, but Mr. Schuester interrupted whatever she was going to say.

"Okay guys, here we go." Mr. Schuester said, giving them a thumbs up and his creepy smile he always gave them.

_"Jitterbug..."_ The Glee club sang in unison, _"jitterbug, jitterbug, jitterbug."_

Rachel turned to look at Quinn who took a step forward away from the line so she was alone in front of the Glee club. She did an adorable little wave at the kids sitting in the front row before spinning, her dress flying up around her before she stopped and began singing.

_"You put the boom-boom into my heart, you send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts." _Quinn started, swaying back and forth as she continued,_ "Jitterbug into my brain, goes a bang-bang-bang 'til my feet do the same."  
><em>

Rachel grinned at the sight of the blonde singing. Quite honestly, Rachel had no clue what the blonde was nervous about, she was kicking ass! And right before Sam started singing the blonde turned her head and smiled at Rachel.

_"But something's bugging you,"_ Sam sang in a higher voice than he probably was used to, and he grinned while making slow circles around Quinn, who sang on every other line._ "Something ain't right  
>my best friend told me what you did last night. Left me sleepin' in my bed, I was dreaming, but I should have been with you instead!" <em>Sam reached for Quinn's hands and held them tightly in his own as they sang out the last part before the chorus._  
><em>

And then they were at the chorus and Rachel was turning to Finn. _"Wake me up before you go-go, __ don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo." _The boy grabbed her by the hips and lifted her into the air as they had rehearsed, when he dropped her she was in between Mercedes and Tina,_ "Wake me up before you go-go, I don't want to miss it when you hit that high!" _The three girls sang, bursting in between Quinn and Sam and staring out at the crowd. Rachel smiled, raising her hand in the air and waving at some of the kids in the front row before turning and singing the last bit she was supposed to,_ "Wake me up before you go-go, 'cause I'm not plannin' on going solo. Wake me up before you go-go, take me dancing tonight."_

Going back into the formal line they had begun the song in, Rachel looked up to see Sam holding on to Quinn's hips, and she swallowed the lump of jealousy she was feeling and instead focused on when Quinn hit that beautiful high note of the last line of the chorus._ "I wanna hit that highhhh, yeah, yeah."  
><em>

_"You take the grey skies out of my way," _Quinn twirled in the middle of the room before heading around towards the people's chairs. She had the widest smile on her face as she gripped the edges of seats and sang to certain people before moving on to the next table_. "You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day," _Quinn looked at Sam who had a huge grin on his face, and he gripped the edges of his collar and flipping them outwards.

_"Turned a bright spark into a flame,"_ Sam sung out, his voice filling the room, while Quinn made her way back towards Sam. "_My beats per minute never been the same," _Sam reached for Quinn's hands and brought them up to his chest, as if to insinuate she was holding his heart.

_"'Cause you're my lady," _Sam pointed towards Quinn, "_I'm your fool," _He flipped his thumbs back towards him, before doing a small one eighty, and then landing on his knees right in front of Quinn's legs. "_It makes me crazy when you act so cruel, _he gripped her legs as he was told to do by Mr. Schuester before hesitantly raising to his feet, bringing Quinn into the air. Right before he sang the next line, he slowly let Quinn slide down to come face to face with him, and he grinned, and Rachel was once again fighting jealousy.

_"Come on, baby, let's not fight, we'll go dancing, everything will be all right," _He reached for Quinn's hands and positioned them in a dancing position before pretending to waltz.

_"Wake me up before you go-go, don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo." _She repeated her dance moves from earlier, and when she landed in between Mercedes and Tina, she burst through Sam and Quinn happily. She didn't want that teenage boy close to her Quinn._ "Wake me up before you go-go, I don't want to miss it when you hit that high. Wake me up before you go-go, 'cause I'm not plannin'' on going solo." _When she turned she smiled at Quinn shyly and made her way over to Finn, she glanced up at him and then brought her hand down to his like she rehearsed. She didn't bother lacing her fingers with his, but just simply grabbed his hand._ "Wake me up before you go-go, take me dancing tonight."_

_"I wanna hit that high," _Sam sang, nodding his head to the beat of the song while Quinn joined in with some hushed _"yeah, yeah's."  
><em>

It was quiet for a moment until the boys leaned forward and sang out, _"Jitterbug." _

Rachel bent her knees in time to everyone else and she leaned forward along with the rest of the girls, and sang out loudly, _"Jitterbug."_

_"Cuddle up, baby,"_ Quinn sang, gripping Sam's cheeks in her hands and looking him directly in the eyes. _"Move in tight," _Sam took a step closer and gripped Quinn's hips, singing with her. _"We'll go dancing tomorrow night," _They then swayed their hips like dorks, and Rachel nearly laughed at the sight of how stupid the pair looked. "_It's cold out there," _they both pretended to shiver, and the whole Glee club giggled at the movement. _"But it's warm in bed," _Quinn released Sam's cheeks and reached for his hands and they both twirled together, "_they can dance, we'll stay home instead!"_

_"Jitterbug." _The Glee club sang, smiling and jumping forward, while everyone began clapping to hit that final chorus.

_"Wake me up before you go-go, don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo. Wake me up before you go-go, I don't want to miss it when you hit that high!" _Rachel sprinted towards the groups of kids and reached down for one tiny little girl. She brought the girl up to her feet and danced with the child._ "Wake me up before you go-go, 'cause I'm not plannin' on going solo. Wake me up before you go-go, take me dancing tonight." _She let the girl do a few spins, before giving the girl a quick high five and turning to run back towards the rest of the Glee club._ "Wake me up before you go-go, don't you dare to leave me hanging on like a yo-yo, take me dancing!"_

Rachel found herself between Mercedes and Tina, and she dropped her hands and wrapped her arms around both girl's waist and she smiled, singing out the last line of the song, _"Boom, boom, boom." _

And then it was over.

Just like that, they were done with the first song and Rachel found herself peering down the group of kids and looking at Quinn who had a fine line of sweat on her forehead, and she was gleaming from head to toe, and after a beat of staring at her. The blonde glanced up and met Rachel's gaze, and the brunette smiled, nodding her head in congratulations, and waiting for the applause of the audience to die down.

She released her grip on her friend's waists, and licked her lips.

She heard the song for the next song begin to play and she took a step away from the line, similar to what Quinn did earlier.

She took a deep breath in and quickly glanced up at Finn who was four people down from her.

The boy met her gaze and smiled, giving one nod to the brunette before breathing deeply and turning to face forward.

_"You push me_," Rachel let the words escape her mouth as she took a hesitant step forward. "_I don't have the strength to," _She glanced up at the crowd and smiled at the little kids who were on the knees in front of the tables. _"Resist or control you," _She shut her eyes and dropped her head for a mere second. She took another step forward, _"Take me down, take me down." _

Finn took a cautious step forward, and when his voice rang out Rachel turned to look at him, "_You hurt me, but do I deserve this?" _His eyebrows were knitted together, and his dark eyes held some hidden meaning in them, but Rachel ignored it. _"You make me so nervous," _he turned away from Rachel and looked up towards the back wall like he was supposed to. _"Calm me down, calm me down." _He sang out, and Rachel reached for his hand like she was supposed to, she circled her fingers around his palm and looked down at the intimate touch.

Rachel licked her lips as she slowly brought her gaze north and met Finn's who looked at her, a small crooked smile forming on his face, and then they were interrupted by the Glee kids circling them and chanting out the next lines.

_"Wake you up," _Rachel turned away from Finn, but was yanked back into his arms as rehearsed. "_In the middle of the night to say, I will never walk away again." _Rachel looked up, a sad expression on her face. _"I'm never gonna leave this bed, oh..." _

The Glee kids undid their circle and went back to their straight line quickly, and then Rachel was opening her mouth to sing again.

_"So come here," _Rachel turned and looked over her shoulder innocently, singing out the lyrics as she looked at Finn longingly. "_And never leave this place," _She turned and began walking backwards looking at Finn who was staring at her._ "Perfection of your face," _she closed her eyes, and looked up at the boy beneath her eyelashes._ "Slows me down, slows me down..."_

_"So fall down," _Finn neared her and with every step he took towards her, she matched with her own step backward. _"I need you to trust me," _He sang, as he shook his head back and forth, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. _"Go easy, don't rush me. Help me out, why don't you help me out?" _He sang loudly, reaching for Rachel's hands and yanking her towards him.

_"Wake you up, in the middle of the night to say," _Rachel tore her hands away from Finn's as she was supposed to and walked towards the tables, reaching for the little kids heads and patting them, a reassuring smile on her face._ "I will never walk away again, I'm never gonna leave this bed, oh!" _Rachel sang out, turning and glancing at Finn who was looking at her through the crowd of kids singing, a warm smile on his face.

But behind him, Rachel caught the eyes of Quinn, and she couldn't help but smiling even wider.

_"So you say "Go, it isn't working" and I say "No, it isn't perfect""_ Rachel and Finn's voice overpowered the other Glee club kids, and Rachel turned, grasping one of the little boy's hands in her own and walked closer to Finn the boy following her._ "So I stay instead, I'm never gonna leave this bed." _The kids voices rang around each of them.

As Finn and Rachel neared each other, the little boy that Rachel was holding hands with was taken by Quinn, and Rachel was vaguely aware of Quinn's fingers swiping against the back of her hand.

The rest of the Glee club kids made their way to the first child they saw and grabbed their hand, urging them to come sing the rest of the song with them.

_"Take it, take it all_," Rachel sang, taking a step closer to Finn and not breaking eye contact with him,_ "Take all that I have," _Finn sang, shaking his head and bending down by his knees to look Rachel in the eyes, _"I'd give it all away just to get you back," _They grabbed each others hands, and Rachel felt Finn's thumb swipe across the back of her hand and she ducked her head, smiling shyly.

_"And fake it, fake it all, take what I can get," _They sang together, stomping their feet on the ground, as the Glee kids circled them again, a person that belonged to the shelter at each of their sides.

_"Knockin' so loud, can you hear me yet, try to stay awake but you can't forget!" _They sang out the last line, while the Glee kids erupted in the chorus around them.

_"Wake you up, in the middle of the night to say. I will never walk away again, I'm never gonna leave this bed, oh..." _Finn brought Rachel's hand up to his mouth and placed a delicate kiss to the back of her hand before turning and walking to get apart of the circle._ "You say "Go, it isn't working", and I say "No, it isn't perfect". So I stay instead, I'm never gonna leave this bed,_ ooh." Rachel quickly turned and found her place beside Quinn.

Rachel reached for Quinn's hand and she realized Quinn's hand was softer, and more fit to actually fit in her hand, unlike Finn's. Rachel almost preferred holding Quinn's hand than her the boy. She laced her fingers in between Quinn's and smiled at the girl as they opened their mouth and sang out the last few lines.

_"Take it, take it all, take all that I have, take it, take it all, take all that I have. Take it, take it all , take all that I have. Take it, take it all, take all that I have."  
><em>

Rachel snapped her mouth shut, and let out a heavy breath, as her eyes flickered across the room. And then there was an eruption of applause, the people were standing up and clapping loudly in honor of the Glee kids.

And Rachel smiled widely, feeling more proud of the club as a whole, rather than just herself.

She glanced at Quinn out of the corner of of her eye to see the blonde smiling down at her.

And Rachel felt her heart beating so loud in her chest she nearly thought it overpowered the sound of the people clapping in the room.

But she didn't care because in that moment, everybody disappeared.

It was just Quinn.

* * *

><p>"Quit moving!" Quinn muttered sternly, puckering her lips out as she stared at Rachel exasperated.<p>

"I'm sorry that my eye doesn't like something so close to it!" Rachel complained, as she once again took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide so Quinn could apply the eyeliner to her lower lid.

She stared at Quinn's face as the girl applied the makeup. And Rachel found her absolutely adorable. She was biting her lip and had a concentrated look on her face as Rachel felt the small pencil moving beneath her eye. The brunette thought the blonde had pretty eyes, which she did. They were hazel with little specks of golden closer to the pupil, and it was beautiful, and Rachel wouldn't mind staring at those eyes every morning.

Stop, she encouraged herself, she couldn't be thinking like that when she knew for a fact she didn't like Quinn. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind of all thoughts, and that earned her a grunt from the blonde.

"Seriously Rach?"

"Sorry." She mumbled sheepishly, feeling the heat rise up the back of her neck and towards her cheeks.

"It's okay, just quit moving!" Quinn said, patting the girl on the cheek before reaching down and grabbing the small brush and smearing the blush onto the ends. She brought the brush up towards Rachel's face, and the brunette giggled at the tiny pressure of the brush on her cheeks.

"What are you wearing tonight?" Rachel mumbled, after she stopped giggling.

"A skirt and a tight white shirt, what about you?" Quinn mumbled, licking her lips before glancing back down at her bag filled with cosmetics and reaching for the mascara.

"I brought a skirt and a long sleeve black shirt." Rachel mumbled, glancing up towards the ceiling when Quinn gripped her chin and tilted her head back.

The blonde nodded and once she finished applying the last of make up to Rachel's face she smiled at her work, then slowly gripped the handheld mirror and turned it towards Rachel so she could examine herself.

She looked different to say the least.

Her eyebrows shut up and she turned her head to the side to examine her whole face.

She felt genuinely beautiful for once, and she couldn't help but blushing.

She'd definitely be turning some eyes tonight with her look.

"Wow, I look-" She cut off, searching for the correct word.

"Hot!" Quinn interjected, before turning to her makeup bag and closing it quickly. She then shook her hair in the mirror before glancing down and quickly beginning to unbutton her shirt.

Rachel was in the midst of looking at herself closer in the mirror, when she spotted Quinn removing her shirt in the mirror.

She froze, and stiffened.

As the blonde was on the last button, Rachel managed to stumble out, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to change really quick." Quinn said oblivious, continuing her journey with undressing and shrugging off her shirt.

Rachel licked her lips quickly before nodding. She figured it was that time she needed to not be around the blonde, so she turned and quickly walked out the bathroom door and towards Quinn's bed. She quickly flew herself down on the top and looked up at the ceiling. She heard the sound of feet shuffling, and clothes being removed, and she slowly tried to get the image of Quinn Fabray undressing herself out of her min-

"Rach?" Quinn called, and Rachel winced, almost scared to look up.

"Yeah?" She mumbled.

Quinn's voice sounded like it was facing the other way as she spoke, "Should I wear this skirt or this one?"

Rachel sighed loudly before heaving herself upwards and preparing to answer when her mind went completely blank.

It was almost as if Quinn knew how Rachel was confused about her feelings. It was as if she knew, and she was doing this purposely to tease her. It wasn't fair.

She didn't want to be caught gawking at the girls ass, so she shut her eyes and rolled over to lay on her stomach. She shimmied her head in between two pillows and took a few calming breaths, trying to erase the image of Quinn's beautiful ass out of her mind.

It was a beautiful ass.

Round and plump in all the right places.

Rachel pictured herself slowly backing Quinn into a corner and wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist and very cautiously slipping her hands down towards the blonde's waist, and just gropin-

Stop.

She needed to stop.

"Rache-" Quinn stopped mid-sentence obviously noticing Rachel's position, "Rachel, are you okay?"

"Stomach ache." Rachel lied, burying her face further and further into Quinn's pillow and just wanting to disappear.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked concerned, her voice getting closer.

Her yes was muffled by the pillows and she heard the blonde sigh.

"Alright, well I'm going to go change." Quinn announced, and Rachel was once again left alone to focus on her thoughts.

* * *

><p><em>"In another life," <em>Rachel sang, gripping the microphone in her hands, and glancing at Brittany who was holding another microphone stand and singing into it loudly. "_I would be your girl," _She pointed out towards the crowd, and smiled when she caught sight of Quinn, clapping her hands and jumping around in the middle of the dance floor, while freshman awkwardly danced around her._ "We'd keep all our promises, be us against the world."_

_"In another life," _Rachel sang, coming to a stand still on the stage. _'I would make you stay,' _Brittany interjected, walking closer towards the brunette and gripping her waist, '_So I don't have to say, you were the one that got away, the one that got away.' _They quickly finished together.

The crowd burst into applause, and Rachel narrowed her eyes, searching for that blonde hair, and when she spotted Quinn in the back, she felt a wave of energy crawl up her body. She turned to her music partner and gave the girl a high five, before they both jumped off the stage to let Santana and Tina on for their song.

Rachel had managed to lose Brittany in five seconds after getting off the stage because, she was to busy in search for the blonde.

When she managed to find Quinn a few minutes later, Santana and Tina were just getting done with their first song.

"You did great!" Quinn exclaimed when she saw Rachel standing behind her, "I wish my voice was as good as yours, Rach."

"Thanks," Rachel blushed, glancing down shyly, "Mercedes and you did good as well. I haven't seen you all night!"

Quinn pursed her lips to the side, "I know, we got separated at the beginning, but-" The blonde smirked, looking up towards the stage and changing her sentence, "I like this song, so let's dance!"

And before Rachel could open her mouth to answer, she was getting yanked by the wrist towards the center of the dance floor. She passed Kurt who gave her and Quinn and wary look, but didn't stop the two to say anything.

When Quinn pulled them to a stop she looked at Rachel skeptically.

_"Beauty queen of only eighteen, she had some trouble with herself," _Santana started, and Rachel felt her heart miss a beat.

"Dance with me, Rach." The blonde murmured before reaching for Rachel's hands and bringing them up to her own shoulders, before her hands dropped down and gripped the brunette's waist.

_"He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else." _Tina sang out the next line, but Rachel didn't even hear it. She didn't even register anything that was going on around her other than the fact that Quinn Fabray was with-no dancing-with her in the middle of a crowded room.

_"I drove for miles and miles, and wound up at your door, I've had you so many times but somehow, I want more." _In Rachel's mind, Santana and Tina were no longer singing, instead it was the blonde in front of her singing to her. They weren't in the gym at McKinley, they were at Quinn's house and Quinn was standing, while Rachel was sitting in a stool, amazed at how amazing Quinn's voice was. And when Rachel glanced up to look at Quinn, she couldn't help but blush at the sight of Quinn mouthing the words to the song.

_"I don't mind spending everyday, out on your corner in the pouring rain."_ Rachel looked up at Quinn, and the blonde must have sensed someone's eyes on her because, she glanced down at Rachel, and stared at her for a beat.

Rachel would have given anything to know what the blonde was thinking it that moment. Anything.

Because in Rachel's head, her thoughts were going crazy. She was thinking she wanted to lean up on her tip-toes and kiss the living daylights out of the blonde. But she was also thinking how wrong it was to like Quinn after only knowing her for such a short period of time.

_"Look for the girl with the broken smile..." _God, what was Quinn thinking? Rachel needed to know. Was it anything similar to what she was thinking? Unlikely, but Rachel could never be sure. _"Ask her if she wants to stay a while, and she will be loved. Yes, she will be loved." _

But then Quinn smiled at her, and Rachel felt like she didn't need to question anything in that moment. So instead, she tightened her arms around the girls shoulders a little bit more, and just let herself be.

* * *

><p>Rachel looked up at the stage expectantly, her hands clasped together tightly, waiting for Quinn's turn to sing her solo.<p>

Everybody but Rachel and Quinn had yet to sing, and she was excited to hear the blonde sing. She knew the blonde had been nervous, but she had encouraged her.

And at least Quinn's song was better than some of the other Glee club members. Finn had sang a song by Bruno Mars, Puck had done a song and choreographed a dance to Party Rock Anthem, Mercedes had sang a Beatles song. The new kid, Sam had sang Iris, Mike had sang Just Haven't Met You Yet, Artie sang Step By Step. Kurt had sang Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Tina sang Wonderwall, Santana sang Time After Time. But by far, Rachel's favorite song of the night was Brittany's Hips Don't Lie, purely because, she thought she might have a small crush on Brittany-or her dancing.

The girl just made dancing look so easy, when it hadn't always come naturally for herself.

But Rachel's brain drained of thoughts when the spotlight clicked on and the area around the microphone stand lit up. She heard the instruments beginning to play the opening of the song, and she tapped her foot, looking around the stage for Quinn.

Right before the first verse was supposed to be sang, Quinn took a step into the light and glanced out at the audience, staring at some of the kids who didn't know whether to slow dance or just stand awkwardly in the middle of the crowd.

But right as Quinn opened her mouth to sing, she looked at Rachel and a smile appeared on her face. She gripped the stand of the microphone and sang out in a soft alto, _"Now and then I think of when we were together, like when you said you felt so happy you could die." _

The blonde swallowed, her knuckles visible when she gripped the stand tighter, and Rachel swayed her head to the song.

Quinn glanced down at an invisible spot on the floor and sang out the next verse, _"Told myself that you were right for me, but felt so lonely in your company." _The blonde gripped at her shirt, right around where her heart was and continued singing, _"But that was love and it's an ache I still remember..."_

There was a musical break in the song, and Quinn side stepped to the rhythm of the instruments playing, and Rachel took the time to glance around at the audience. Some kids were standing against the walls, some were slow dancing and Rachel found herself amused because, it was a break up song.

_"You get addicted to a certain kind of sadness, like resignation to the end, always the end." _Quinn licked her lips, and raised one hand away from the microphone to push a piece of hair behind her ear before opening her mouth to sing the next verse, _"So when we found out that we could not make sense, well you said that we would still be friends, but I'll admit that I was glad it was over." _

And then it hit Rachel like a bowling ball crashing into bowling pins.

Just simply the way Quinn sang that line, and how it echoed throughout the gym, she knew the blonde was singing to Puck.

She searched for the boy with the mohawk in the crowd, and spotted him leaning against a corner, talking to Artie, but his attention was distracted by the blonde.

Quinn was singing this as a sign she was strong enough to move over Puck.

And Rachel could not have been more proud.

_"But you didn't have to cut me off, make out like it never happened, and that we were nothing." _Quinn belted out. The way her voice lifted so high reminded her of when they did the production of Rocky Horror and she managed to just perfectly hit the notes of Time Warp._ "And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough."_

Rachel slowly made her way to the front of the gym, just so she could get a closer look at Quinn singing.

_"No you didn't have to stoop so low, have your friends collect your records and then change your number." _Quinn turned, and stared right at Puck and Rachel's suspicions were confirmed when Puck dropped his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets. _"I guess that I don't need that though, now you're just somebody that I used to know..."_

Rachel stopped right at the edge of the stage, ignoring the fact that she probably looked like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert, just begging to touch Justin's hand. To be perfectly honest, Rachel wouldn't mind if Quinn leaned down and touched her hand.

_"Just somebody that I used to know... Just somebody that I used to know..." _Quinn sang in a quiet voice into the microphone, glancing down at Rachel and giving her a small smile before turning to the other voice that entered to sing the female part of the song.

_"Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over, but had me believing it was always something that I'd done." _Santana sang loudly, clapping her hand against her thigh as she slowly made her way to center stage where Quinn was, _"but I don't wanna live that way, reading into every word you say." _Santana and Quinn shared a smile before Santana took a large step closer to Quinn and wrapped her hand around the blonde's waist, while Quinn threw her arm over Santana's shoulder.

In general the whole interaction looked very friendly, unlike the words Santana was singing.

"_You said that you could let it go, and I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know." _Santana's last note rang out and then they were back to the chorus, and Rachel was in a trance at the blonde on the stage, who opened her mouth and sang out so peacefully.

Quinn may think her voice wasn't as strong as Rachel's, which is true it wasn't. That's only because, it lacked the years of training Rachel had, but that didn't mean Quinn had an ugly voice. Her voice was beautiful, and very distinct.

_"But you didn't have to cut me off, make out like it never happened and that we were nothing. And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough." _Santana and Quinn's voices echoed through the gym, and Rachel was surprised to find the two girl's voices blended well together. _"And you didn't have to stoop so low, have your friends collect your records and then change your number. I guess that I don't need that though, now you're just somebody that I used to know..."_

The two girls repeated the lines and then the song quickly came to a close.

There was some awkward clapping throughout the room, but Rachel's clapping was by far the loudest in the whole room.

She almost could have sworn she was the only one clapping, but when she looked around she saw others.

Rachel was filled with so much pride she didn't even register that Quinn was introducing her to the stage until the girl tapped Rachel on the head with the microphone and gave her an amused look.

"Your turn. Sweep 'em off their feet, Rach." The blonde muttered under her breath.

Rachel snorted, "I can't after that preformance."

Quinn blushed, before doing a small jump off the stage with Santana. The blonde thanked her friend, and they shared a look before Quinn turned and nodded her head towards the stage, "Go shine, Rachel."

And that small little phrase had Rachel falling even deeper into the hole she had dug herself in when she hung out with Quinn in Columbus.

She nodded her head, turned and walked up towards the stage, fumbling with the microphone in her hands as she repeated Quinn's phrase in her head like a mantra. She headed straight for center stage, and when she looked out into the crowd she felt a wave of stage fright creep over her, and it didn't help when the song began to play and she knew she'd have to sing in a few short moments.

Her throat was dry and she quickly swallowed, she looked into the crowd and truly felt like this was going to be her future.

She was going to leave all these people that didn't care about her behind. All these people she actually didn't really care about behind. She was going to be big, and she was going to shock them all. She was going to be on Broadway just like she had dreamed from the beginning.

And when it happens she was going to come back and ask who was laughing now.

The only one that stood out from the crowd was Quinn.

Rachel doubted they'd be friends after high school, but with the developing feelings she was having, she couldn't rule out any options.

And then just like that Rachel was staring at Quinn, and she opened her mouth and words flowed out, _"Heart beats fast, colors and promises, how to be brave, how can I love when I'm afraid-" _And then Quinn was beaming, and looking at Rachel like she was the only person in the room, and Rachel felt like she was the only person in the room. She forgot how to breathe. She forgot how to sing. She just wanted to jump off the stage. _"To fall. But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow..." _

She didn't know if Quinn felt it but Rachel sure did.

This song was for Quinn.

She didn't even know how she was singing anymore because, her... well her everything was focused on Quinn at that moment.

The blonde was smiling, her hazel eyes bright and full of pride and Rachel felt like Quinn's favorite person in the whole world. She was on cloud nine-no, above cloud nine at that point.

_"One step closssss-eeer." _Her note rang out.

She gripped the microphone and placed it into the microphone stand and shut her eyes quickly, before opening them and focusing solely on Quinn.

_"I have died, everyday, waiting for you, darlin' don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years," _Rachel sang, a smile on her face, _"I'll love you for a thousand more..." _

She tapped her foot on the ground and swayed her head so her hair flew behind her shoulders, _"Time stands still, beauty in all she is. I will be brave, I will not let anything take away." _

_"What's standing in front of me. Every breath, every hour has come to this..." _She licked her lips, before she looked at the crowd, staring at Finn who was looking at her with a dopey, but proud look on his face, and she didn't even care that he may be proud of her.

Because, she didn't care about Finn anymore.

Only Quinn.

_"One step clossss-eeer." _

_"I have died, everyday, waiting for you, darlin' don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years," _She stared at Quinn, almost wanting to scream out that this was for her but she held it in, _"I'll love you for a thousand more... And all along I believed I would find you, time has brought your heart to me," _Rachel felt like she was being to obvious with her staring at Quinn so she decided maybe it was safe to look at a spot on the wall for a few seconds, "_I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more..." _

She rang out the last note, taking one last glance at Quinn before the song was over.

It was dead silent, and Rachel was having a heated staring contest with the blonde in the middle of the room. It was so heated, that Rachel barely noticed when the kids started clapping.

She only noticed when Quinn stood in the middle of it all and jumped up and down like a little girl on Christmas, screaming Rachel's name. Pride floated off of her in waves, and Rachel?

Rachel felt special.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: **

_Hi! I'm bored, you should text me.  
><em>

**That was a little straight forward.**

_To demanding? Let me try again._

_Oh your highness, will you please entertain me, a poor, poor peasant with your wicked sense of humor. _

**Very funny, ass. Am I your monkey or something?**_  
><em>

_Exactly!_

**I'm not amused.**

_Oh come on, entertain me Quinneth Paltrow! My fathers and I are playing board games, and they are cheating and they don't know that I know, but I do. And I'm tired of their shenanigans and I want you to entertain me!  
><em>

**I really hate that name. **

_It's a great name! _

**No. It's actually not. **_  
><em>

_It's a cute nickname, Quinnie.  
><em>

**No it's not. And if you keep up this smart ass attitude, I will stop talking to you.**

_You are a fun hater._

**Am not, I just don't like that damn nickname! Ah, quit bickering with me! **_  
><em>

_Fine, fine, fine, grouchy pants. But please entertain me?  
><em>

**And how do you propose I do that?**

_I don't know. _

**Thanks for the help there.**

_Welcome. :)_

**You are being quite the little smart ass today. How about we play twenty questions or something?  
><strong>

_Sounds good to me. You first?_

**Technically you just started because you asked me a question.**

_Oh really? Whose being the smart ass now? _

**I'm pretty sure it's still you!**

_Quinn!  
><em>

**Fine! Geez. What's your favorite color?**

_Gold.  
><em>

**I should have known that, you know with the whole "gold stars are a metaphor for me, being a star." **

_You really should have. You obviously don't pay attention very well. _

**Shut up. **

_:D What's your favorite food?_

**Bacon.**

_Your favorite food is disgusting._

**The fact that you are a vegan is insulting to me. Bacon is life, Rachel. It's life. **

_How is it life? It's killing poor adorable little pigs!_

**Pigs are not adorable, Rach.  
><strong>

_Pigs are very much so adorable! And you like to eat them!_

**Well what can I say, they are pretty delicious. **_  
><em>

_You are crazy! _

**Not as much as you since you don't like bacon! Anyway, we are getting off topic. Quit distracting me, woman! What's your favorite book?**

_I'm not really that much of a reader, but I like "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac._

**That's an old book, right?  
><strong>

_Yes ma'am. I had this phase in middle school where I would spend hours locked up in my room watching black and white movies, and reading old books. And I pretended to be wiser than my age. For a long period of time I was convinced I was the next Oprah Winfrey or something. I sincerely thought I was the coolest person alive. _

**But Rachel, you are the coolest person alive! **

_I'm not afraid to punch you, Quinneth Paltrow._

**Sorry, sorry! But I understand what you are saying! In seventh grade, I had this phase that every time I went out in public, I was Gabriella Montez, and I'd burst out into song in the middle of mini marts, and my mom would cry of embarrassment. I was convinced if I kept doing it, I'd eventually have my own Troy Bolton come out and sweep me off my feet and we'd ride into the sunset on ponies. **

_High School Musical, really? _

**It was my life in the seventh grade.**

_ I can picture your mom dying of embarrassment. :D It's a funny image. But anyway, what's your favorite movie? _

**The Notebook because I believe in that whole undying love and I'm a sucker for those sappy romances. And I like Facing the Giants because it is such an inspiring movie.  
><strong>

_I like The Notebook too! It's an amazing movie. But I've never heard of the other one.  
><em>

**You've never seen Facing the Giants?**

_No? Should I? _

**YES! IT'S ONLY THE BEST MOVIE ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH, RACHEL BERRY!**

_Oh, I see. _**  
><strong>

**You've been deprived as a child. I'll make you watch it sometime soon. And you will love it. And even if you hate it you are going to say you love it because, I LOVE IT. Got it?  
><strong>

_Well then... I got it.  
><em>

**Okay. :) What's your favorite song? **

_Are you kidding me? Uhm, the most played song on my iPod right now is The Gambler by Fun._

**Didn't we cover one of their songs earlier this year? **

_We Are Young, yes. But that one got really popular, really quick. This song is so much better. It's such a cute little song that gives me butterflies in my stomach every time I listen to it. Go listen to it... now! _

**But I'm busy.**

_With what? _

**Laying down. **

_Bitch.  
><em>

**Hey now! I'll look it up later.**

_Whatever. You agitate me, woman. What are your plans for college?_

**Getting into the deeper questions, aren't we? Honestly, I've got no clue. It seems like just yesterday I was walking into the front doors of McKinley, the first day of freshman year, thinking to myself "this will go by so slow" and now I'm in my senior year and months away from graduating high school. I'm terrified of the future. I can barely handle myself emotionally right now, how am I going to handle myself out in the real world, y'know? And with college, I've applied to a few. Believe it or not, I applied to Yale a few weeks back, but I haven't gotten any information back from them. I've gotten accepted into Louisville, and they have a great cheer program, but I don't know if cheer is something I want to make a career out of, or something I just want as a hobby. It's stressful. I don't like to think about it.  
><strong>

_Don't be scared, Quinn. If you're scared, you are never going to survive out there in the real world. But you know what? I know that won't happen because, you are one of the strongest people I've ever met in my life Quinn. And I know that you can do anything you set your mind to.  
><em>

**Thanks Rachel. It means a lot that someone believes in me. **

_Anytime Quinn. I'll always be here. _**  
><strong>

**Yeah, so, what are you doing for the whole college ordeal?**

_Well as you know, I've applied to NYADA with Kurt, and we are basically just waiting to hear back. New York is my dream, my future. It's been my dream since I was little. And the fact that I get to bring my best friend along makes it a million times better! For the longest time I was blinded by Finn, and I almost threw away my dreams because I thought he was more important than them, but he's not. No one ever could really be more important than my dreams. I'm psyched to get out of here. This time next year I'll be in some loft in New York, the sounds of buses honking outside my window.  
><em>

**You've got it all planned out I see.  
><strong>

_Surprisingly, I do. _

**Well that's good, I'm happy for you Rach.**

_I'm happy for you too Quinn! You'll do whatever you set your mind to, I just have this feeling in my gut. But anyway, onto the next question! How did your parents meet? _

**My mom went to college with my dad's best friend, so they met through him. **

_That's cute, and how long have they been together? _

**Going on twenty five years. It's insane to think about!**

_That is scary to think about. But at the same time it's not because my dads have been together a long time as well.  
><em>

**Yup! Ugh, what's your favorite movie?  
><strong>

_Oh wow, I'm not even sure. Obviously I like all the musicals like West Side Story, Grease, Funny Girl, etc. But I also like eighties movies, preferably the John Hughes ones like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, etc.  
><em>

**I see. Y'know, I never really pegged you as an eighties girl, but I could see it now. **

_And I never pegged us to be friends. Look what life throws at ya. :)_

**Touche.**

_In ten years where do you see yourself? _

**Ten years? Damn, I don't know. I could be anywhere. Hopefully, I will have settled down by then. I could be married or engaged, I'd be happy. I'd either be living in a city somewhere or in a nice suburban neighborhood. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do yet as far as a career, but hopefully I'll be doing something I love. I'd like to travel too, so maybe I could be in Paris or Italy.  
><strong>

_That's good. :)  
><em>

**Yeah. What about you? Where do you see yourself in ten years? **

_I see myself living the dream. I'll be in New York. I could be on Broadway, who knows. I will be in love with with someone I love. I'll have beautiful kids, because, c'mon, Rachel Berry could not have ugly kids. It's impossible. And most of all, I'll be happy.  
><em>

**:) That's great. Birth scares me, to be honest.  
><strong>

_Why does it scare you? You're bringing life into this wonderful world.  
><em>

**You basically gotta push a watermelon out of something that's pea shaped!**

_You're scared that it will hurt your vagina? _

**Rachel, vulgar! **

_Quinn Fabray, vagina is the technical term for that body part. Would you prefer I called it something more modern. Pussy, twat, kitten? _

**Kitten? STOP IT. **

_You are the one that is freaking out over me saying vagina. _

**This is awkward. **

_Well, I'm sorry! Why are you so scared? _

**Aren't you? That sucker's gonna burn!**

_Well, I guess so. I don't spend my time thinking about it, unlike you._

**Well... This is awkward.**

_Just a little bit. _

**Subject change! What do you want to name your kids? **

_Oh I have no clue. I've always been one for weird names. I like Sawyer or Leslie for a girl, and for a boy I like Blayden or Wyatt. _

**Awwh those are cute names! I've always like Bentley for a boy and Rose or Paige for a girl. Is that to much? **

_Not at all, I like Bentley!  
><em>

**Me too. It's an adorable little boys name!  
><strong>

_It is. What was your first kiss like? _

**Ugh, it was disgusting. **

_Who was it with? _

**I'm not saying. Let's just say at an eighth grade party I was forced to play seven minutes in heaven with the Neanderthal and he practically molested me with his tongue.**

_Ew. Tell me who it is!_

**It's gross, Rach.**

_I don't care. Tell me!_

**Uhm... Dave Karofsky. **

_OH MY GOD, QUINN FABRAY. YOU KISSED HIM? WAIT, HE WAS YOUR FIRST KISS. OH MY GOD._

**Shut the hell up! **

_Oh my god, I'm dying._

**Screw you. I was good at it! He was the one raping me with his giant ass tongue!**

_I'm sure, Quinn. I'm sure. _

**Oh shut up. Next question - favorite board game? **

_Let me quit laughing. _

**I hate you.**

_You love me. Liar. Anyway, Monopoly!_

**That's a good game.  
><strong>

_I'm aware. Well, I have to go out to dinner with the folks. Thanks for entertaining me though Quinn. :) You are going to Santana's party this weekend I presume?_

**Of course. You're going?**

_Yeah... Is that bad? _

**No it's not bad! I just didn't think you'd be going. Damn, now I'm going to have watch and make sure Rachel Berry doesn't get drunk!**

_Oh please, alcohol is revolting. I will not get near that stuff!_

**Whatever you say, Rach. Bye bye! :)**

_Bye, bye, Quinneth Paltrow. ;D_

* * *

><p>"No drinking, no smoking, and absolutely no full frontal contact with any boys. Understand, Ray?"<p>

Leroy Berry stood in the front hallway of the Berry household with his arms across his chest. He gave off the impression he was an intimidating, strict parent, but in reality he was not. In fact, Rachel was having a hard time taking him seriously.

Her other dad, Hiram, was the more strict one of the two. But he was currently out grabbing some groceries. So the job of the strict enforcer was left in Leroy's hands and it was literally taking all of Rachel's self control not to laugh in her fathers face.

"Are we at an agreement, Rachel?" He pressed, taking a step closer and narrowing his eyes.

The tiniest giggle slipped through her lips and when she noticed her father's eyes widening she stopped and took a deep breath. She flashed him her best princess smile and replied, "Yeah, we are."

"Good," Leroy said, his body relaxing some but still remaining stiff in a strict parent pose, "whose all going to be there again?"

"Just the Glee kids." She replied, glancing at the door and waiting for her ride to arrive.

"Oh so Quinn, good," He muttered, finally relaxing and dropping his arms, "I like her she seems mature for her age."

"She is." Rachel mumbled, her eyes flicking to the window.

Her father attempted at small talk and she answered, but was more focused on looking out the window for Quinn more than she was focused on the actual conversation.

She couldn't deny the feelings that were rising in her stomach every time someone mentioned the beautiful blonde. Or the fact that every time they talked Rachel would feel smitten, and completely absorbed in whatever the blonde was saying.

She tried to convince herself it was because, she never had any close girlfriends and she was just very excited about being the blonde's friend.

But she knew better.

Deep down, she knew those feelings were a fraction stronger than what they were supposed to be.

But the color of red caught her eye outside and she smiled, interrupting her father mid-sentence.

"Okay, well Quinn's here Dad, I'm going to go! Love you bye!" She exclaimed, pressing a kiss to his cheek before turning and basically sprinting out the door, ignoring the way her father was calling after her.

She stopped by the door calmly and smoothed down her hair before opening the passenger door and sitting down gently.

Quinn chuckled and raised one perfect eyebrow up at the brunette.

"I take it you are ready to go?" She asked amused, switching gears and pulling out of the driveway.

"I just couldn't wait to get out of the house is all." Rachel replied with a shrug.

"Oh," Quinn said, "you look nice."

Rachel glanced down at her attire to see she was just wearing a pair of jeans and a buttoned up shirt, she didn't really see how she looked _nice.  
><em>

Even though the compliment was simple and didn't mean much, Rachel took it as a sign that the blonde was actually looking at her and thought she looked hot.

As always, Rachel truly wished she could read Quinn's mind just to hear what the blonde was thinking in that moment.

"Thank you." Rachel replied shyly, letting her eyes trace over Quinn's body to see the blonde had dressed up a bit more for the party.

The blonde was wearing a white dress that hung nicely on her curves, and a brown belt wrapped around the waist. Her short hair was straightened and stopped right at her chin, framing her face nicely. Her gold necklace stood out on her collarbones, and Rachel couldn't help but licking her lips at the sight of those protruding collarbones. She didn't think it was totally inappropriate to want to kiss those collarbones because she really wanted to.

"So Rach-" Quinn's voice pulled Rachel away from her obvious staring, "I'm thinking about having a couple of drinks tonight, and I was wondering if you'd be able to take me home and all?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes, feeling a wave of sadness crash over her at the thought of the blonde drinking. Alcohol was dangerous and if Rachel were being honest with herself she didn't want the blonde anywhere near the substance. But she reluctantly shook her head, "Yeah, I'll drive since I am spending the night anyway."

"Great!" Quinn replied excitedly, turning the wheel and pulling up to Santana's house. She parked the car and unbuckled her seat belt turning to Rachel and smiling.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Ready!" Rachel replied reluctantly.

It was time to get the party started.

* * *

><p>The party had been in full swing for about an hour. Drinks were being served left and right. Vodka, beer, rum, and all sorts of other drinks that Rachel had no clue even existed. She wondered where Santana had actually gotten all of the alcohol but she decided not to ask, in fear of being punched square in the face.<p>

Speaking of the girl, she was so drunk, she was falling over everyone. But she had a wide grin on her face and she was being nicer than Rachel had ever seen her. But along with the nicer side of her, Rachel was also noticing the girl was sobbing for no apparent reason.

Quinn had stuck by Rachel's side for the first half hour but after she had gotten at least three drinks down her system, she was long gone, leaving Rachel to talk to Kurt, who was also not drinking. Rachel was a little sad that the blonde had departed so quickly, but the sadness soon washed away when she witnessed Quinn leap into the middle of the living room and began swaying her hips. She would whip her hair back and forth and she had a red tint to her face, and fine mask of sweat dripping down her forehead.

And... she looked adorable.

Rachel wished she could have tore her eyes away from the blonde but she couldn't.

The blonde was just begging for attention.

And Rachel was all to willing to have her eyes on her.

Trying to distract herself she was just about to suggest they do something other than sit around when Noah perked up from his seat and yelled loudly, "Let's play spin the bottle!"

Everybody clapped their hands excitedly, including Quinn who jumped excitedly.

Rachel grunted and she glanced at Kurt who gave her an annoyed look.

She made her way to sit next to Quinn but was stopped when Finn plopped down beside her she begrudgingly made her way over to Mercedes and sat down next to the girl. She smiled politely and watched as Santana appeared and dropped a beer bottle in the middle of the circle and sat down next to Brittany.

Rachel glanced at Quinn to see the blonde leaning up to Finn's ear and whispering something in the boys ear, and the boy was laughing.

And then the boy dropped his large hand down on her thigh and Rachel's hands clenched into fists at her side.

God she never knew what she saw in the boy.

She wanted to kick the living shit out of him.

"Okay rules-" Puck announced, standing up and holding his beer out, "everyone has to participate, and there has to be some tongue action."

There were a couple grunts, but otherwise no complaints from the group of teenagers.

"Great let's start!" He said, and quickly leaned down, spinning the bottle, and the whole group watched it spin. Silence filled the room and everyone was anticipating who the bottle would land on.

When it finally stopped it landed on Tina, and the girls eyes widened and she glanced at Mike, giving him a helpless look.

"Asian!" Puck declared, "Let's do this!"

And before Tina or Mike could say anything, Puck had a fist full of the girls shirt and was yanking her lips to his. The kiss lasted for about five seconds and Rachel just briefly saw Puck's tongue graze Tina's lips. And then Mike was pulling the girl back into his arms, an angry look on his face.

"Bro, to much." Mike growled, rubbing Tina's shoulders.

Puck shrugged his shoulders, a smug grin on his face, as he winked at the girl. "Nice lips."

Tina's jaw dropped and she blushed dropping her face to Mike's shoulder so no one could see her expression.

"Next!" Puck shouted, and nudged Sam to take a spin.

The blonde boy sat forward and spun the bottle around and around and it finally landed on Santana.

The Latina had grinned wickedly before leaning forward and gripping a fistful of the blonde boys hair. He whined in complaint, but his whine was cut off when their lips crashed together, and there was a loud moan from Sam's throat.

Everyone watched in silence and when the kiss ended, there was a noticeable shift in the circle and Santana smirked.

"Thanks Trouty."

Around and round the game went, with nearly everyone kissing everyone. Kurt had to kiss Finn, which was immensely awkward and short lived. Mercedes and Artie shared a quick kiss. Artie kissed Brittany. Brittany kissed Mike. Mike had the unfortunate event of kissing Brittany twice when he spun the bottle and it landed on the blonde. Brittany and Quinn shared a kiss, and Rachel had to look away so she wouldn't have to see the image of Quinn kissing a girl, a girl that wasn't her.

And then it was Quinn's turn to spin, and Rachel clenched her legs together in anticipation of the spin.

When the blonde gripped the bottle and it spun, part of Rachel wished it would land on her, but the other part of her wished it wouldn't.

She knew the blonde was drunk and probably wouldn't remember a kiss with the brunette in the morning, and that somewhat disappointed Rachel.

Rachel would want the blonde to remember a kiss from her.

But another part did not want to kiss the blonde because, she knew she'd be living in agony even more than she already had been.

And when the bottle finally stopped, Rachel's heart did as well.

"Oh hell yes!" Puck moaned, bringing his beer can in the air and pretended to chant to the Gods. Finn shifted uncomfortably next to Quinn, and Rachel just stood with her eyebrows raised.

Quinn seemed to be calm completely calm staring at Rachel as if kissing her was going to be the most normal thing in the world.

"Quinn, you don't have-" Rachel started, but was cut off by Puck leaning forward, "Oh Quinn, yes you do."

"Puck, it's not appropriate-" She blubbered, waving her hands in the air at the blonde and widening her eyes trying to silently tell Quinn no way.

"Rachel-" Quinn's voice filled the room, "it's okay."

No it wasn't, Rachel wanted to scream at the blonde.

And when the blonde raised up on her knees, and smoothed down her dress, she crawled over to the middle of the circle and pursed her lips to the side. She raised her hand and lifted one single digit before bending it and beckoning Rachel to come closer.

And Rachel's eyes nearly fell out of her sockets.

The way Quinn's eyes were half-lidded was making Rachel practically want to jump up and carry the blonde towards the nearest bedroom.

Hell, it didn't even have to be a bedroom.

She quickly jumped to her knees and shuffled over to the blonde, a little to excitedly.

She was pretty sure no one noticed the excitement though because, they were all to drunk to care.

When Rachel felt the blonde's body heat near hers, she stopped breathing and glanced up at the blonde from underneath her eyelashes. "Q-Quinn-" She stammered, "you don't have to.."

Quinn rolled her eyes and brought her hands up to the brunette's face, holding the girls cheeks in her hands.

"I want to." Quinn insinuated, and her warm breath washed over Rachel's face.

Rachel nodded and licked her lips nervously.

The blonde slowly raised one hand and pushed Rachel's bangs out of her face and tucked her hair behind her ear. And Rachel noticed her hands began to shake at her sides.

She was so nervous, yet so excited to feel those lips against hers.

She watched with hungry eyes as Quinn shut her own eyelids, and covered those hazel eyes and slowly leaned forward. Rachel felt the blonde's nose graze her own and she felt herself beginning to suck in the blonde's breath.

They were centimeters away.

Rachel's heart was beating so fast in her chest she nearly thought she was having a heart attack.

And when she felt the first touch of Quinn's lips on hers, she sighed and let the feeling sink in.

Quinn's lips were smooth and they glided over hers slowly and sensually.

Rachel felt her palms beginning to sweat, she felt her breath turning to pants, and she wanted to slap herself.

They were barely kissing!

In fact all they had done was peck.

And all of the sudden out of nowhere, a burst of courage flooded through Rachel.

She figured she was going to hell so she might as well do it thoroughly at that point.

Rachel pulled away from the blonde for a split second, their foreheads still touching before, she leaned upwards and smashed Quinn's lips against hers.

The blonde gasped and after she realized what had happened she quickly returned the passionate kiss.

Rachel gripped the sides of her jeans, so she wouldn't make a bigger fool of herself by groping the blonde in the middle of their friends.

At that point, Rachel was barely aware of the kids sitting around them, all she could focus on was Quinn's hushed breaths, the eyelids fluttering against her cheeks, and the lips that were on hers.

When Quinn parted their lips open, Rachel let out a moan and leaned forward even more into the kiss. She could tell Quinn was being hesitant with her tongue, and Rachel wasn't going to have any of that. She flicked out her own tongue and traced it over Quinn's bottom lip.

When the blonde moaned, Rachel felt a bolt of pride float through her.

So she tested the blonde even more and brought the blonde's lip in between her teeth and bit down roughly, and the blonde yelped.

The blonde's hands were on her shoulders and slowly tracing up towards her shoulders. And a few seconds later Rachel felt those smooth hands tangle in her long hair and yank down on the brown locks and she hissed, biting down even harder on the blonde's lip.

God, she could taste Quinn.

To say blonde tasted like heaven was quite an understatement. There was a sweet taste of strawberry bubble gum on her tongue, and also a mixture of some alcohol. And Rachel couldn't even care that there was alcohol on Quinn's breath because, she was actually kissing the blonde.

Rachel Berry was kissing Quinn Fabray.

And Quinn seemed to be enjoying it.

She could feel Quinn's breath mingling with hers.

It fascinated her to know that she was breathing in Quinn's breath, and the blonde was doing the same with her.

And God, Rachel really wanted to know what the blonde was thinking.

Her hands slowly began to make their way to grip the blonde's hips and pull her clos-

"Holy shit, that is the hottest fucking thing I've ever seen."

And then just like that Rachel Berry's dream was crushed.

She yanked away from the blonde almost as if she had been bitten and she realized she was nearly breathless.

Her lungs searched for air and all she could find was that stupid taste of strawberry bubble gum!

She needed air.

God, there was no air.

Quinn had taken it all when they were kissing.

Rachel had kissed Quinn.

And Rachel then realized that the blonde was still a few feet away from her.

She looked up to see Quinn was looking at her with a confused, but lustful gaze.

Rachel felt her insides mesh together, and she didn't know whether she was turned on or ashamed that she had liked kissing a girl so much.

Not just any girl, Quinn Fabray.

"Nice kiss." Quinn said, winking at Rachel before turning and crawling her way back over to the circle.

Rachel let out a gust of air, and frowned.

Of course, Quinn was drunk.

She wasn't going to remember it.

Would she?

Rachel contemplated this as she made her way back to her own part of the circle. She sat down and brought her hand to her lips to wipe away the saliva Quinn had left.

And it wasn't the gross saliva that you would think of when two people made out.

It was Quinn Fabray's saliva and she didn't even care.

She wanted that damn saliva.

Rachel glanced up at the blonde from the across to circle, to find the girl was staring down at the ground, her eyebrows knitted together and look Rachel couldn't trace across her face.

And Rachel couldn't help but thinking if she even wanted Quinn to remember them.

Did she?

* * *

><p>The party ended a few hours later, with a drunken Quinn falling over every step she took.<p>

Rachel was pretty sure she had counted Quinn drinking eight beers after they got done with the game of spin the bottle.

And that meant Quinn had to of had at least twelve beers.

And who was responsible for a drunken Quinn Fabray?

Rachel Berry.

They were currently walking along the sidewalk towards the driveway where Quinn had parked.

Rachel had one hand gripped around the blonde's waist while the blonde had one arm over her shoulder.

When the blonde tripped over the second crack on the sidewalk, Rachel growled under her breath, "Quinn, could you please attempt to walk?"

The comment came out a little harsher than she meant it to and she was just about to apologize, when Quinn replied, not seeming phased whatsoever.

"Sorrrry, Rach. Everythin' looks kinda funky!" Quinn slurred, leaning up and glancing at Rachel, a dopey smile on her face.

It took all of Rachel's internal strength not to just drop the blonde and walk away in frustration but she managed to carry the blonde the rest of the way towards the car and shove her inside. She quickly straightened her outfit before heading towards the driver's side.

Rachel turned on the car and peeled out of the driveway, heading for Quinn's house.

Quinn had slumped over, her forehead pressed against the cool glass of the car window, and she was looking out the window an amused look on her face.

But to Rachel's surprise she was oddly quiet.

When they pulled up to the Quinn's house, ten minutes later, Rachel got out of the blonde's car quickly and made her way towards Quinn's side who was already making her way out as well.

Rachel groaned and sprinted to catch a swaying Quinn who almost fell flat on her face.

She brought the blonde towards the front door, grunting every step she took.

And it was when she was standing in front of the door she realized she didn't have a key.

"Quinn, where is the key?" Rachel mumbled, looking around the porch.

"Window, under the frame." The blonde whispered, almost as if she didn't want anyone else to hear.

Rachel quickly propped one hip up to hold the blonde at a standing position and leaned down and searched underneath the frame. She didn't actually see how she was supposed to find the key but when her hands found a small handle she opened it and felt inside the small box, feeling the shape of a key.

She thought it was clever the blonde had hat, and she straightened shoving the key in the hole and unlocking the door.

They made their way inside, and Rachel glanced around the familiar house, noticing every light was off and it looked eerily quiet.

Rachel shut the door and locked it before dragging Quinn towards her bedroom.

And as they descended the steps the blonde finally decided to start a conversation.

"You're a good kisser, Rach." Quinn slurred, and Rachel froze, nearly dropping the girl but quickly recovering.

That was the drunk side talking, Rachel told herself.

Rachel knew Quinn couldn't be being realistic at that moment.

She was drunk.

Drunk.

Drunk.

Drunk.

Rachel repeated the single word inside her head, in hopes she would start to believe it.

"Thanks." She mumbled quietly, continuing her journey to the bed, and laying the blonde out on it. She picked up the girls legs and swung them up on the bed, and when the girl was laying down she sighed, and turned, but was stopped when a hand shot out and gripped her wrist.

"Rach." The blonde's throat cleared, and suddenly there was a thick tension in the air.

"Yeah?" Rachel whispered.

"C'mere."

"I am here." Rachel replied sarcastically.

"Closer, ass." Quinn grumbled, opening her eyes and glaring at the brunette.

Rachel chuckled, but then became serious once again. She cleared her throat, and shut her eyes trying to force herself to run out of the house screaming bloody murder but she couldn't. So instead, she turned and faced the bed, "What?"

"Closer."

So she moved closer cautiously.

"What is it Quinn?"

"Kiss me."

The comment hung in the air.

And Rachel dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands, and she gaped, "What?"

"I said, kiss me." Quinn murmured, and Rachel noticed that Quinn looked no longer drunk.

But Rachel knew you couldn't turn off being drunk with a light switch.

And she sure as hell knew Quinn wasn't a damn light switch.

The blonde knew exactly what she was doing in that moment, regardless if she would remember it in the morning.

"Quinn," Rachel stopped, "y-you're drunk you don't know what you're saying."

"I do, Rach." Quinn whined, turning on her side and propping herself up on one elbow to stare at the brunette pleadingly. "Please, Rach, please kiss me?"

Don't do it, Rachel was chanting in her head. She knew she would flip the fuck out and think tomorrow that they were going to get together and have beautiful babies, and get married in Paris. But that wasn't going to happen.

Because, tomorrow Quinn would wake up and feel awkward.

Or worse, she wouldn't remember it.

But at the moment, when Quinn let out another silent plead, Rachel lost it.

And then Rachel was leaning down and kissing the blonde lips greedily. Just like the first time, Quinn's lips were perfectly smooth and their lips slid along each others.

And unlike their first kiss it wasn't slow and unsure, this was need.

Rachel needed to let Quinn know how she had been feeling over the past few weeks. Quinn needed to know.

"Get up here." Quinn mumbled, pulling her lips away for a fraction of a second before smacking them back together.

Rachel hesitated, but hopped onto the bed.

She planned to lay on her her side next to Quinn, but instead she was being pulled on top of the blonde, ultimately straddling her. When she felt Quinn wrap her arms around her waist and pull her downwards, Rachel groaned. She could feel Quinn's body heat beneath her.

She could _feel _Quinn.

She could feel the swell of the blonde's breasts beneath her own chest, she could feel the thighs between her own legs. She strong arms holding her in place.

Rachel tore away from the blonde and stopped to look at the Aphrodite beneath her.

Quinn's lips were tinted with wetness, her lips were halfway closed, and her eyes were shut peacefully. She looked relaxed and perfect.

She looked like Quinn.

And Rachel just wanted to take a picture of the blonde and hang it on her wall forever.

She swept one hand down and pushed Quinn's hair behind her ears gently.

"You are so beautiful."

And Rachel didn't hear any reply because, she didn't want to know what the blonde would say.

Instead, she was quickly pressing their lips back together, and she heard the soft sound of Quinn releasing a large breath.

After that, Rachel lost track of how long they had been kissing.

Quinn made a habit of pulling away and grazing her nose along Rachel's cheek. Rachel would shut her eyes at the contact. Quinn would trace her nose all the way to Rachel's neck, nudging her head upwards to face the ceiling, and Rachel wouldn't be able to hold back the tiny mewl of pleasure when Quinn's lips connected with her neck. She would feel the tiny sliver of Quinn's tongue flick out, and taste the skin.

"You taste good." Quinn would mumble, and Rachel would shut her eyes, and try telling herself that this meant nothing.

But eventually Rachel would want to feel those lips on her own, so she would nudge Quinn's head forward, and bring their lips together.

Rachel's hands slowly made their way down Quinn's body and found the blonde's hands.

When they touched nervously, she interlaced their fingers and sighed.

At that moment, Rachel knew it was no longer about sex for her.

It never was in the beginning but now she was convinced. It was about intimacy.

She at the point, would have been happy, crawling off the blonde and just cuddling, holding the blonde's fingers in her own.

She wish she could have felt what Quinn was feeling.

Could have heard Quinn's thoughts.

But when Quinn's tongue flicked out and asked for entrance to Rachel's, Rachel didn't care anymore.

She opened her mouth and allowed Quinn to explore her mouth with her warm wet tongue, and Rachel could taste the hint of alcohol and it was amazing. Rachel nipped on Quinn's bottom lip and for the first time Quinn let out a loud moan, and her hips flew north, grinding against Rachel's core.

She returned with a moan of her own, and she shut her eyes, trying to calm down her beating heart.

Rachel didn't know how much longer she wanted it to go, but all she knew with Quinn mewling into her mouth and grinding her tiny little hips against hers, she wouldn't be able to have self control much longer.

So against her will, she slowly released Quinn's lips, and slid Quinn's hands down from her waist, laying them at the blonde's side.

She rolled over on her back, and look at the ceiling, taking a moment to calm her rapid heart.

"Thanks." Quinn muttered from beside her.

"Anytime." She returned, flicking her gaze to the blonde.

It was quiet for a moment and Rachel shut her eyes.

"You won't remember this in the morning will you?" Rachel said quietly.

"I will." Quinn replied, and Rachel couldn't help but feeling a flicker of hope in her heart, but she dismissed it quickly.

"You won't," Rachel mumbled, turning on her side, and leaning upwards so she could stare down at Quinn whose eyes were half way open, "so just in case, I'm going to get this out now. I like you Quinn, I like you a lot."

"I like you too, Rachel." Quinn replied.

"Thanks," Rachel muttered, shaking her head and sighing, "but not in the same way. I know that. And I just got to accept it."

Quinn stared up at her, her eyes narrowed, "Rach-"

"No, don't say anything. Just go to bed, Quinn." Rachel muttered, refusing to let Quinn say something that would get her hopes up.

She swooped down and pressed a quick kiss to the blonde's forehead.

"Good night, Quinn." Rachel said sadly before rolling on her side, facing away from the blonde and looking at the far wall.

Rachel listened to the blonde breath for a few minutes and when Quinn finally whispered a good night, Rachel allowed herself to disappear into a deep slumber, dreaming of kissing Quinn Fabray.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Sorry everyone, this chapter is just a bit shorter than the others. I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and thank you all for the favorites, reviews, etc. They're much appreciated. :) **  
><strong>

**Chapter Six: **

She knew Quinn was awake.

The blonde had sat up and turned to her side, and Rachel had felt those piercing hazel eyes trace over her, while she pretending to be sleeping.

That was ten minutes ago, and now Rachel was listening to the blonde's even breathing, and her thoughts were racing.

Did Quinn remember anything that happened?

If she was being honest with herself, Rachel knew the odds of Quinn remembering were not in her favor. That or, Quinn would remember but choose to not bring it up because she was embarrassed for sharing something so intimate with the same sex.

And what exactly had they shared?

For Quinn it could have just been in easy way to relieve some sexual tension.

But for Rachel, it was quite the opposite.

It was passion.

Raw, affectionate passion.

For her, the little make out session they had, was more than an actual make out session.

Rachel had only made out with two, now three people in her entire life time.

With only having made out with Finn and Jesse before, Rachel didn't know what a good make out session actually was. But with Quinn she truly figured it couldn't get much better than it did.

And Rachel, for the life of her, couldn't decide if she wanted Quinn to remember the intimate moment they had shared or if she didn't want her to.

Even though they hadn't been friends for long, Rachel knew Quinn well enough to know if the blonde remembered, she was ashamed. She would want to forget, and if forgetting meant having to go back to her old ways and hate Rachel, she'd do it. Quinn's image was everything to her, and Rachel knew that.

And Rachel really didn't want Quinn to hate her again.

She knew what she had to do, and she didn't want to do it.

She had to act.

She had to act like nothing had happened.

She quickly put herself in the mindset that she was acting in a musical similar to her life and she was the main star of the show. She rolled over, as if on cue, and yawned loudly, leaning upwards and stretching her arms above her head. She managed to cast a quick peek at Quinn who had her eyes narrowed and was staring at Rachel strangely.

"Morning Quinn!" Rachel spoke cheerily, leaning forward and glancing over her shoulder at the blonde.

Quinn didn't answer right away, and instead stared at Rachel, her hazel eyes narrowed and filled with confusion.

She felt her mouth go dry and sweat beginning to form at the back of her neck.

"Morning." Quinn said hesitantly, after a few minutes. She leaned forward up into a sitting position, similar to Rachel's. The blonde scratched the top of her head, and gave Rachel a skeptical look.

Rachel cocked her eyebrows up, and gave Quinn a close lipped smile.

"So," The blonde muttered, "what happened last night?"

Rachel ignored the way her stomach flipped and instead tilted her head to the side, "You don't remember?"

The blonde was silent for a beat before she shrugged, "Not a clue."

And there was the answer to all of Rachel's questions.

No, the blonde didn't remember the lustful gazes they gave each other, or the rough kisses they shared.

She didn't remember any of it.

Rachel didn't have to worry about Quinn ditching her anymore.

She could act completely normal.

She could pretend the kiss never happened, even though it would kill her on the inside.

She could go on with life secretly having her little crush on Quinn, but not having to worry about the blonde hating her for her true feelings.

It was simple yet heartbreaking at the same time.

"Well," Rachel started, leaning back against the headboard of the bed and smirking, "You got to kiss Brittany in a wonderful game of spin the bottle and you basically got carried home by me because you couldn't stand up."

Quinn looked thoughtful for a minute before glancing up at Rachel beneath her eyelashes, "I didn't kiss anyone else?"

The way the blonde was staring at her, made Rachel's breath catch in her throat and she swallowed loudly.

She almost thought the blonde knew and now she was just waiting for Rachel to confirm her suspicions.

But Rachel knew better.

It was impossible that Quinn could have remembered, so Rachel pursed her lips to the side and shook her head no.

"Oh okay." Quinn mumbled and glanced down, messing with her fingers.

Rachel once again found herself wanting to be buried deep within Quinn's thoughts. She wanted to hear what the blonde was thinking. She wanted to see herself the way Quinn saw her. But most importantly, she just wanted to know how the blonde felt.

"Uhm, yeah-" Rachel stuttered, "you were pretty flirty with Finn by the way."

Quinn nodded, her eyes showing signs of distraction, "I don't really remember anything. All I know was that I was dancing in the middle of Santana's living room one minute and then the next I was here."

"Thanks to me." Rachel quipped.

Quinn smirked, dropping her head guiltily, "Yes, thanks to you."

Rachel observed Quinn whose smile faltered and she glanced down for a moment, before bringing her hands back up to her face and rubbing at her temples roughly.

Although Rachel had never had a sip of alcohol, she knew the main symptoms of what a hangover was.

So she thought it would be a good friendly gesture to take care of the blonde.

"Hungover?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Majorly." Quinn muttered, her eyes shut tightly.

"Well, lay back down," Rachel encouraged, gently reaching for the blonde's shoulder and directing her to lay on her back, "I'll go get some Advil and grab some movies and we can sit around for the day and wait till you get over this hangover."

"Rach, you don-" Quinn retorted, ignoring Rachel's attempts to sit her back down.

"Quinn, I don't have to, I know. But I want to, so let me take care of you." Rachel insisted, taking one single digit and tapping it against Quinn's nose playfully before leaping off the bed and heading up the stairs.

Right before she departed the room she glanced over her shoulder at Quinn who was staring at her, a small dopey grin on her face.

"Quinn?" Rachel said, cocking one eyebrow up.

"Yes?" Quinn grumbled, waiting for Rachel's sarcastic reply.

"Next time, I wouldn't drink the alcohol." Rachel said with a chuckle before turning and heading up the stairs.

* * *

><p>They spent the whole afternoon lounging in Quinn's bedroom, doing everything from watching movies to playing board games on Quinn's mattress.<p>

Rachel found out that Quinn was actually a highly emotional person.

Especially when watching movies.

Quinn demanded Rachel watch Facing the Giants with her, and throughout the movie Rachel would glance over at Quinn's face to see the blonde tearing up some, and a heartbroken expression on her face. And when Rachel would ask her if she was okay, Quinn would flip a switch and defensively answer she was perfectly fine, even though Rachel knew Quinn was just affected by the movie.

Rachel didn't get why Quinn loved the movie so much.

She wouldn't dare tell Quinn that, but it was just some movie about finding faith, and Rachel figured Quinn only liked the movie because, it was probably Judy or Russell's favorite movie.

Rachel also saw a more romantic side of Quinn show when they watched The Notebook.

The scene where Noah was asking Allie what she wanted, Quinn abruptly paused the movie and whipped her body to face Rachel, ignoring the girls whine of complaint.

"It's love!" Quinn had yelled, throwing her hands up exasperated, "It's true passionate love. They are so in love with each other it almost hurts to watch. I believe in that once in a lifetime love, y'know? Or soul mates so to speak. I think fate has a way of playing with your damn emotions. Noah and Allie went through hell without each other. But guess what fate did, fate just _had_ to bring them back together! Love is like some emotional roller coaster, and there is a hell of a lot of downs but there are plenty of ups, and those ups are just beautiful. And god dammit, Noah and Allie belong together and someday I hope I find a love like that, y'know?"

She had paused to catch her breath before continuing, her face was filled with enthusiasm, and Rachel just sat silently, mouth slightly apart listening to the girl rant on.

"I want that type of love where you can be the most mature person ever, but you can also act like a seven year old. I want that kind of love where you have promise rings and hopes of getting married in the future. The kind where you sit outside at night just to stargaze and talk about bunnies or something completely random! Or even the kind of love where I have someone throwing some damn rock at my window at five in the morning just to wake me up so we can watch the sunrise together. Or someone who will build those stupid blanket forts with me and spend hours in them talking about what we would do if we lived in a castle! Or just someone who will just listen to what my favorite things are and incorporate that into some fun, adventurous date. Do y'know what I mean?"

Rachel was to busy taking mental notes of what Quinn was saying to actually form an intelligent response, so she just nodded her head with wide eyes and turned back to the television screen, a small smirk appearing at her lips.

Quinn had took a few seconds to calm her breathing after the long tirade before pressing play on the remote.

When the movie was playing again, Rachel found herself having to try and concentrate but inevitably giving up because she was to focused on her racing thoughts.

At that point, she was only focusing on what Quinn had just told her.

She had ideas floating around of what she would do if she had the chance to take Quinn out on an actual date.

For some odd reason, she just really wanted to make Quinn all giddy and smitten.

She wanted Quinn to talk about love like that because, she was the one to show Quinn that kind of love.

She wanted Quinn to feel like the most special person on the face of the Earth

She imagined walking up to Quinn's house, dressed nicely in one of her fancier dresses. The blonde would open the door and Rachel would greet her with a bouquet of flowers and then they'd go on a date.

Not just any date, the best date either of them had ever had.

Rachel imagined taking Quinn to a random park and climbing all the way up to the monkey bars in the park and sitting on top of them, looking at the stars, while Rachel held her arm around Quinn's waist hesitantly, or spending an entire weekend dedicated to making a tree house in her backyard. Or-

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Quinn's voice interrupted Rachel's thoughts, and the brunette glanced up at the blonde who was staring at her skeptically.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, "Staying in town like I do every year. Us Berry's don't have many family members out of state. What about you?"

Quinn nodded, "I'm going upstate to visit some family."

"Sounds fun." Rachel replied, her eyes flickering across Quinn's face.

"It is..." Quinn said distractedly, nodding once before turning towards the television but not actually paying attention to the interaction between the two characters on the screen.

It was silent for a minute before Quinn was turning towards Rachel again and talking.

"You've got to text me while I'm gone and maybe when I get back we can go see a movie or something?" Quinn pressed, a gleam in her hazel eyes.

And Rachel couldn't say no, so she smiled and nodded eagerly, "Sounds great to me, Quinn."

"Great." Quinn said cheerfully, turning back to watch the movie, right at the part where the older version of Allie and Noah are talking and Allie figures out the old man is Noah.

Rachel is to distracted by the blonde's facial expressions to actually watch the movie.

She didn't even need to watch the movie, she probably knew it line for line.

During the duration of her relationship with Finn, she had spent countless hours watching The Notebook after they got into one of their many fights, and she was convinced that the movie was forever drilled into her mind. And for that reason, she didn't feel the need to pay attention and instead she just observed Quinn.

The blonde's lips were parted gently and she had a shocked expression on her face, and the tiniest hint of tears were swelling up in the corner of her eyes.

A tiny, wet tongue flickered out to wet those lips.

And Rachel wanted to groan at the action purely because, she had tasted that tongue the previous night.

She was so distracted imagining said tongue do pleasurable things to her body, she almost didn't even notice when Quinn laced their hands together on the bed, her eyes never removing themselves from the television screen.

Rachel gasped audibly, glancing down at the pale hand that was wrapped in her own tan one, and she felt her heart accelerate and butterflies fly throughout every square inch of her body.

It excited her that Quinn just wanted to hold her hand.

She couldn't help but wonder if Quinn remembered kissing her, remembered everything that had happened the night before. She honestly thought maybe Quinn just wanted to deny it for a while and have Rachel respect her indecision.

Rachel was all the willing to wait for Quinn because, it was Quinn Fabray.

Quinn freaking Fabray.

And it wasn't like she was going anywhere until summer.

She had time to wait for Quinn.

And it disappointed her to know that she was all the willing to wait patiently on the sidelines for something that may not even happen.

But when Quinn squeezed her fingers tightly and glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes.

Rachel couldn't find it in herself to care.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi Rachel, what are you doing? <strong>

**Rachel?  
><strong>

**Damn! You're probably asleep right now, aren't you? **

**Therefore, I'm going to text you like no other!**

**Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, I'm so glad it's time for the holidays!**

**I'm watching Monsters Inc. **

**It's one of my favorite Disney movies. **

**Ahhh! Rachel, Randall is freaking creepy! I don't like him. He used to give me nightmares when I was little. I thought he was going to come into my room and eat me.  
><strong>

**There are a lot of cows out in the country.**

**MOO!**

**Moo moo moo ca-choo, how are you?  
><strong>

**I'm so bored. Are you still sleeping? Jesus Christ, wakey wakey! **

**Oh my goodness the time is 12:18, isn't that your birthday? **

**Rachel, holy crap! YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THREE DAYS AWAY!**

**I feel like such a bad friend.**

I haven't gotten you anything yet. BUT I WILL.

**I promise.**

** I'm also going to take you out. That's the proper thing to do.  
><strong>

**How does a movie sound? I know we were supposed to see one originally but plans have changed, I'm paying for you! I really want to see The Little Fockers.**

**Ah, no. It doesn't matter what I want to see, it matters what YOU want to see 'cause, it's your birthday. So what do you want to see? **

**ANSWER ME RACHEL BERRY.  
><strong>

**It's decided we are going to see a movie.**

**I just sent you a picture, did you get it? **

**It's got a baby in it.**

**It's my mom's friend from works daughter, she is absolutely precious and you need to look at her.**

**AHH THE PICTURE SENT.**

**I'm so hyper.**

**I'm eating peanut butter balls. Have you ever had them? They are amazing!**

**Yummmmy.**

**You should call me while I'm gone. I'm going to get bored.**

**How are you still sleeping? Isn't it a little late for one Rachel Berry to be sleeping in? **

**Rachel.**

**I think your middle name is Barbara?  
><strong>

**Berry.**

**WAKE **

**UP.**

**WAKE UP!  
><strong>

**Hey There Delilah is playing on the radio, I love this song!**

**There's only one thing to do, those three words, and that's what I'll dooooooo.**

**I don't know if that's the right words, but it might be! **

**Is it? **

**Damn, wake up! **

**We just passed a White Castles. Have you ever had White Castles? It's kind of amazing!**

**It's the best fast food joint ever.**

**Haha. Joint.  
><strong>

**God, immaturity. It's a sin.  
><strong>

**I'm running out of things to talk about so you should wake up soon.**

**My socks are purple! **

**Want a picture of them?**

**No?**

** Okay.**

**):  
><strong>

**I kind of miss Puck right now, but it's okay. **

**Sully is saying goodbye to Boo. :'( This is the worst scene in the whole movie.**

**I wish I could moonwalk, moon walking would be really awesome. I don't have any really special talents, do you? **

**Wait! I do! I can snort like a pig.**

**I guess that's not a talent.**

**BUT I DON'T CARE!**

**Rachel. Please wake up, I don't know what else to say! **

**My dad is yelling at the GPS. The GPS's name is Carol. I thought you should know.**

**Oh my lord he just went, "YOU STUPID WOMAN, WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?" **

**It was funny. **

**I laughed out loud.**

**Did you? **

**I have a girl crush on Jennifer Garner. She's a pretty lady.**

**Are you up yet? **

_Was all that really necessary? _

**Rachel! **

_Quinn. I don't feel good and you woke me up. _

**Oh my god, I'm so sorry! **

_It's okay. I'll call you later tonight or something, okay? _

**Okay. Sorry again. I love you Rach! Feel better. Bye. **

_Bye Quinn._

* * *

><p>It was after an hour and a half of talking on New Years, that Quinn muttered something into the phone that caused Rachel to freeze.<p>

"Would you ever kiss a girl?"

Rachel swallowed loudly.

She thought about what they had been talking about moments prior trying to see where Quinn could have came up with this question, and only remembered Quinn apologizing for not being around for her birthday for the thousandth time, and talking about what they had gotten on Christmas.

Nothing that could even lead up to kissing girls.

Rachel bit her lip and shut her eyes, listening to the sound of shuffling on the other end of the line.

"Why?" She replied curiously, clinging onto the phone tightly, waiting for the reply.

"I don't know. I was watching Black Swan earlier and there was some weird lesbian scene and I guess it kind of just popped into my head." Quinn replied, and Rachel could almost picture Quinn shrugging nonchalantly.

Rachel could feel heat swim through her body at the image of Quinn watching Black Swan. Watching Mila Kunis spread Natalie Portman's legs apart and burying her face between her wet-

"So would you?" Quinn pressed.

"Would I-huh?" Rachel replied incoherently.

She heard Quinn's angelic giggle float through the speaker of the phone, "Would you ever kiss a girl?"

Rachel wanted to blurt out she already had, and it was the girl she was speaking to, but she managed to hold her tongue.

"Maybe," Rachel whispered, waiting to see if Quinn would reply, and feeling relieved when the blonde didn't, "would you?"

"Probably." Quinn said quickly.

Her gasp was audible.

"For experimental purposes only though." Quinn added quickly, her comment sounding a little to forced, "I'm not gay."

Rachel bit her lip and felt her heart drop, "Yeah, me either."

It was quiet for a moment, and Rachel pried her brain for something to say, all the while listening to Quinn's breathing on the other line.

"Zac Efron is so beautiful."

Rachel couldn't help but giggle at the sudden conversation changer.

It was almost as if Quinn needed to change the subject.

"He is." Rachel said, messing with her fingers as she slid down to lay back on her bed. She propped her head up on her pillow and looked at the little stars on her ceiling that she had forced her fathers to put up when she was younger.

"Like, seriously, his blue eyes make me melt on the inside, and he is so beautiful. Men in our lives just don't look like him, it's not fair." Quinn groaned.

"I know." Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes.

They both giggled and Rachel took a deep breath in, waiting for Quinn to say something else.

The blonde didn't say anything for a while.

And Rachel didn't pressure her to say anything.

So they just sat in silence.

And Rachel didn't mind the silence.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey Rachel? Are you up? <strong>

She received the text an hour after Quinn had ended the phone call, saying she was exhausted and she needed some sleep. So it surprised Rachel when the blonde texted her.

_Now I am._

That was a lie. She had been awake ever since she got off the phone. Her thoughts were screaming at her and it was physically and mentally impossible for her to even attempt to sleep.

**Shit, I'm sorry.**

_No it's okay Quinn. What's up?_

**I've been thinking...**

_About? _

**Puck. **

_Ah. What about young Puckerman? _

**My mom said it's impossible to know what love is at my age. Do you think it's possible? Do you think I'll always love him, like I do now? Because, I'm miserable loving him from a distance, y'know? And pretending I don't care about him when I really do.  
><strong>

_Well, you sure are giving me a lot to think about at two in the morning. But anyway, Quinn, I do think it's possible. Love is a weird thing, and it's a thing I don't think I've experienced yet. But I think everyone has their own definition of love, or at least I do. And don't care what your mom says, because, it only matters what you think. So, to answer your first question, it is possible yes. Do I know if you experienced it? No, that's up for you to decide. It depends on what your definition of love is Quinn. I can't tell you that. And do I think you'll always love him? Yes and no, if that makes sense. I think ten years from now you will look back and think about Puck, and you'll feel the same feelings in your heart that you do now, but you'll have moved on from those feelings. You'll always remember what you feel for him when you think about it, but I don't think you will always love him. _

**You are so right. You are SO right. **

_I am? _

**Yes! That like cleared up a big cloud in my head. I feel relieved to know he won't be the only one I'll chase after. He won't be the only one I love, y'know? **

_Yes, I know. _

**Thank you Rachel. You are amazingly awesome.**

_You're not that bad yourself. _

**:) Rachel? **

_Yes?_

**I love you. **

_:) I love you too, Quinn._

**Good night, Rach.**

_Good night, Quinn. Sweet dreams. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

It was the Monday after the annual winter break got over when Quinn Fabray came bounding into the choir room at the end of the school day, a gleaming smile on her face and her green purse swinging at her sides, with a the corner of a bright blue bag peeking out the top.

Rachel was ecstatic when the blonde came bounding over to her, even though Finn called her name, and sat down next to her. The blonde still had the gleaming smile on her face, and she hurriedly swung her purse up and set it up on her lap. She fingered the corner of the blue bag and pulled it out before smirking and turning the front side to face the brunette sitting beside her.

Printed in big yellow letters was the simple statement of "happy birthday!"

Rachel groaned, dropping her head in her hands, "Quinn, I don't like prese-"

"Oh bullshit!" Quinn growled out, stopping Rachel mid-sentence. "You can't pull that crap on me, Rachel Berry. Out of everyone I know, you absolutely love receiving gifts, so don't lie. And just for you lying like that, you're not getting this until after the movie."

Rachel gaped at her, trying to form coherent thought processes but coming up blank.

"B-but Quinn, I want the gift now!" Rachel stammered, giving the blonde her trade puppy dog eyes, "Please?"

Quinn snorted, glancing forward as Mr. Schuester walked into the classroom his fingers clasped together.

"I wasn't going to give it to you now anyway." Quinn replied.

Rachel glared at the blonde for a second longer, feeling agitation creep through her body at the girls smug smile, "Rude." She huffed, crossing her arms against her chest.

Quinn smiled and was opening her mouth to reply when Finn came sauntering over, his tall figure swaying side to side. Right before he sat down, he almost tripped and fell over his shoelaces but he managed to catch his balance by gripping the back of one of the choir chairs.

Rachel grimaced at the presence of the boy, and she turned in her chair to face the front of the room so she wouldn't accidentally catch eye contact with him.

Even though she wasn't apart of the conversation, she couldn't help but eavesdropping and she felt a sickening feeling crawl up her stomach when the boy raised his eyebrows and scooted the chair closer to Quinn.

"So, Quinn, Friday, dinner at Breadstix, how does that sound to you?" Finn said, his attempt at trying to be seductive failing, due to the fact that he looked like a small child with gas pains.

Rachel froze in anticipation, her hands dropping and her fingers gripping the edges of her seat, waiting for Quinn's answer.

She felt her heart drop at the blonde who appeared to be hesitant to answer the boy.

And Rachel obviously took that as a bad sign, and she was just waiting for Quinn to say that was a great idea.

But Quinn was good with surprises.

"Friday won't work for me, sorry Finn." Quinn finally answered, chewing on her bottom lip.

Rachel felt her heart leap at the words and she nearly screamed in relief. She couldn't help but wanting to stand up and taunt the boy for not managing to actually score a date with the girl. But she managed to contain herself and listen to the boy's reaction.

"Oh," Finn said glumly, his head dropping "okay, maybe some other time?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Quinn replied, not sounding as thrilled, "maybe."

Finn sat there for a moment longer, waiting to see if Quinn wanted to say anything more to him, but seeing she didn't he pursed his lips to the side and awkwardly stood, clapping his on his pant leg and walking away, back towards Puck who had an amused look on his face.

"Can he not take a hint?" Quinn groaned, turning her head to look at Rachel.

Rachel scoffed, "How would I know?"

"You dated him!" Quinn shot back, rolling her eyes.

"True," Rachel muttered, "not really, he is kind of oblivious to everything, so you have to be really straightforward."

"Ah, well I don'-"

"Okay, guys let's get started!" Mr. Schuester interrupted whatever Quinn was about to say and the blonde merely shrugged and turned to face the front of the classroom, all the while making Rachel wonder what the blonde was going to say.

* * *

><p>"Two for Little Fockers." Quinn announced, dropping the money down on the counter and ignoring the way the teenage boy behind the glass enclosure was eying her body.<p>

Rachel bit her tongue and glanced away angrily, so she wouldn't accidentally snap at the boy.

He could have at least had an ounce of common courtesy to not blatantly stare at the blonde!

"Here you go miss, enjoy your movie." He replied, handing the tickets over to Quinn and lingering his hand next to hers a split second to long and the blonde narrowed her eyes together, and mumbled out an awkward thank you before turning around towards Rachel and giving her an unamused look.

Rachel began to giggle when the blonde shoved her with her body and shoved her head into Rachel's shoulder embarrassed.

"That guy was totally hitting on me." She groaned, and her voice vibrated Rachel's shoulder, which only caused the brunette to giggle more.

"I know." She replied, raising her shoulder to lift the blonde's head so she could get a better view of her smitten face. When Rachel caught Quinn's hazel gaze, her stomach did little flips and she smiled earnestly at the blonde.

They headed over towards the concession booth of the movie theater and Rachel began to open her purse that was at her side, but a pale hand shot out and she glanced up to see Quinn staring down at her, a stern look on her beautiful face.

"I'm buying." Quinn said briskly, no sign of hesitation in her voice.

"But," Rachel started, her eyebrows raising, "you paid for the movie!"

"Exactly," Quinn replied, "it's your birthday present so enjoy it and let me pay."

Rachel was going to have a witty remark but couldn't when the blonde shot forward to the concession stand, ignoring Rachel's startled gaze. Before Rachel even had time to reciprocate, the blonde was asking for popcorn and drinks for the two girls.

Within one minute Quinn was thanking the girl behind the counter and turning, thrusting the bag of popcorn at Rachel and nodding her head in the direction of the butter machine.

Rachel was about to open her mouth to remind Quinn that she didn't want butter on the popcorn, but once again she underestimated the blonde.

Without even turning around Quinn opened her mouth and muttered, "Not for you, Rachel. I was going to say get a cup of butter for me and we can split up the popcorn but never mind, I'll get it." The blonde smiled crookedly, before walking by the brunette and heading towards the condiments counter.

Rachel was shocked to realize that Quinn remembered she was vegan, when Finn had clearly forgotten numerous times.

She felt heat invade her cheeks and she walked behind Quinn and mumbled a hushed thank you. The blonde glanced over her shoulder and met her eyes and held her gaze for a beat before nodding.

"Let's go." Quinn grunted after she got the rest of the butter on her popcorn, before nodding towards the theater doors.

Rachel walked ahead and kicked the door open with her foot, holding it open with her heel so Quinn could follow.

When they got inside, there was no one in the theater, which they figured would happen considering they got there a half an hour early.

They grabbed two seats right by each other in the middle of the theater, and when Rachel plopped down she sighed, relaxing deeper and deeper into the chair and glancing at the blonde out of the corner of her eyes, who was taking off her jacket before matching the brunette's position in the theater's chair.

Rachel grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in her mouth, while Quinn watched her with an amused gleam in her eye.

"How was your Christmas, Rachel?" Quinn asked after they had settled down, giggling as she slipped her own butter covered popcorn into her mouth.

Rachel attempted to talk with her mouth full, and she realized she must have looked utterly unattractive and stupid, so she held up her finger and ducked her head shyly.

When she swallowed the rest of her popcorn, she smiled up at the blonde, and noticed Quinn had an amused grin on her face.

"What?" Rachel asked self consciously, raising her eyebrows.

Quinn giggled and dropped her head for a second before raising and meeting Rachel's gaze, her teeth sinking down into her bottom lip. She giggled shyly before leaning forward and invading Rachel's personal space.

"Don't move." Quinn whispered and Rachel felt air leave her lungs and she couldn't help but flickering her eyes down to that lip that was being bitten on. When Quinn released the plump lip from her teeth, Rachel could still see the indention her teeth left, and Rachel felt the sudden urge to lean forward and lick the daring spot.

What was Quinn doing?

_'Jesus Christ, she is getting so close.' _Rachel's thoughts were racing and her eyes were glancing up and down between Quinn's eyes and lips hungrily.

She nearly anticipated lips closing in on hers, but when they didn't and instead she felt a smooth thumb slide over her top lip, she couldn't feel a bit disappointed.

Rachel opened her eyes and looked at Quinn who was smiling softly and pulling away, "You had some popcorn on your lip." Quinn mused, before settling back down in the position she had been earlier.

"Oh." Rachel mumbled unintelligibly, before glancing at the screen and watching the pre-show previews playing on the giant screen.

"So?" Quinn pestered from her right.

Rachel glanced at her and cocked her eyebrows up questionably.

Quinn huffed and rolled her eyes, "Your Christmas, Rach. How was your Christmas?"

"Oh," Rachel giggled shyly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "it was pretty good, I spent most of the break at home with my family. We don't celebrate Christmas, so instead we mainly celebrated my birthday, and lounged at home. We went out to eat a few times, but I spent a lot of the break taking pictures and working on my vocal range. Boring stuff, nothing really that important. How was the out of town trip?"

"Oh shoot!" Quinn exclaimed, "I totally forgot you were Jewish and you don't celebrate Christmas!"

Rachel merely shrugged her shoulders, she didn't really care for Christmas, nor got what the big deal about it was.

"Anyway, it was fun. My grandma got me a new laptop and a new iPod, so that's pretty nice. And we went to the zoo and all the animals were absolutely adorable! But by far, my favorite were the lions. I love them! They even had baby cubs out and the cubs were trying to roar like the adults did, but it didn't work out so well. But all in all, it was insanely cute! We played board games. I also watched some crazy Irish people get drunk in the cul-de-sac which was also pretty funny. It was a fun break." Quinn finished with a grin on her face as she popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"That does sound fun." Rachel grinned, licking her lips and taking some more popcorn.

It was quiet for a few minutes and Rachel occupied herself by looking around the theater before voicing her thoughts.

"I wonder if anybody else shows up?" Rachel wondered, turning to look at Quinn who was glancing around the theater as well.

"I bet they do," Quinn replied, "I heard this movie has done well."

Rachel shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips to the side, a question that had been nagging here ever since New Year's on the tip of her tongue.

"Can I ask you something-" She murmured, waiting for Quinn's reaction.

The blonde narrowed her eyes and a concerned look crossed her face, "Yeah, anything, Rach. You know that."

Rachel licked her lips and nodded, glancing down as she guiltily said her question, "Are you still missing Puck?"

The question was blunt and the reason she felt guilty was because she knew the boy could sometimes be a hard topic for the blonde.

But Rachel felt like she deserved to know. Over the course of the past few months, Rachel figured they had become close enough of friends for her to know these type of things. The blonde was so bipolar with her feelings about the boy, she never quite knew where the blonde stood with him. One minute, she thought she was over the boy, the next all she can do is yearn for and think about him.

"I'm getting better." Quinn admitted, "I still miss him, but ever since you texted me that text-" She paused, grinning, "which I saved by the way, I've been a bit better. I've been trying to look on the bright side of things. You know?"

Rachel nodded, actually not knowing at all, but she pretended she knew for the sake of Quinn and it paid off when the blonde grinned even wider.

"Over the break I thought a lot about who I want to be and how I want to live my life, and I don't want to be in a state of sadness all through my senior year because, one that wouldn't be what an actual senior year is supposed to be like and two I can't tell my kids that their senior year will be awesome because, mine wasn't. Senior year is so supposed to be the time of my life and I haven't even started living it yet. If I spend my life sad all the time and wasting all my time on some silly boy, I'm never going to be happy and when I do get happy, I would have realized I spent so much time being sad," Quinn said, shrugging and pursing her lips, "I just figured I deserve to be happy because everyone deserves to be happy."

The blonde looked so passionate about what she was saying that she left Rachel nearly speechless.

"It's a lot easier said than done." Rachel contributed to the speech.

Quinn nodded immediately, "Oh I know, I know. I've always been one of those people that gets sad for no reason other than I'm just sad."

"I am too." Rachel nodded.

"But why be sad?" Quinn said, raising her eyebrows up, "We could be spending that time thinking on the positive side, or doing weird things that we never thought we'd love. For example-" Quinn cleared her throat, and picked up her purse from the floor and pulled out a tiny notebook before glancing up at Rachel, a shy expression crossing her features.

"Don't judge me, okay?"

Rachel nearly snorted, but held in her laughter for respect of the girl and nodded her head.

Out of all people Quinn Fabray was afraid of being judged? That was one of the most ridiculous things she had ever heard.

Rachel should be scared of being judged, not Quinn.

"Okay," Quinn said, a tad bit more confident than before.

She straightened, bringing the notebook with her and glanced at Rachel nervously. Off of Rachel's encouraging nod she opened the notebook and a simple drawing was on the white page. A girl was sitting on top of a building and looking out into the bright city lights, all done flawlessly with what seemed to be just a pencil.

Rachel sat in awestruck and she leaned forward, bringing her fingers up to trace the drawing and study the way the features of the girls face were sketched in. The city lights reflected off of her face, and Rachel could also see a hint of some type of charcoal on the paper.

Lights were shining through some of the windows in the building on the paper and Rachel glanced up at Quinn who was looking at her, an anxious look on her face, and Rachel gave her a smug smile before glancing back at the paper to study the sketched in sky.

The sky was only partially colored in with deep blue colors, some dark blue and some baby blue. And shades of red also imitated a sunset.

"D-" Rachel stammered, glancing up, "D-did you do this, Quinn?"

The blonde bit down on her bottom lip and nodded shyly, red invading her rosy cheeks.

"This is so beautiful." Rachel complimented, and grinned widely, "I love it. You captured that intense moment when you are just looking out at the most breathtaking view. Like this picture, it makes me want to do exactly this, sit on top of a building somewhere when I move to New York, and just appreciate the view of the whole gorgeous city."

Quinn smiled, "Thanks Rachel, maybe I can take yo-"

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" An excited male voice came from their left and Rachel whipped her head around to the sound of the voice, her heart filling with dismay.

Finn was walking in the aisle they were in, a dopey grin on his face and Puck was trailing behind him, his hands shoved in his jean pockets and a sullen look on his face.

Rachel was just getting ready to turn and ask Quinn if she wanted to leave when she felt the blonde close her fingers around her wrist. She shot her gaze up to those hazel eyes who looked nervous but relaxed.

"I'll be okay. I'll mainly talk to Finn, and we can continue our conversation later." The blonde said, giving Rachel a genuine smile before turning to Finn and smiling up at the teenage boy, her smile fading but still there although it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hey Finn-" Quinn said cheerily, then glanced behind him, "Puck," she acknowledged a little softer.

The boy tilted his head north in one simple nod before taking a seat next to Rachel, while Finn clambered over Rachel and Quinn's feet so he could take the free seat to Rachel's right.

Quinn gave Rachel one last sad, but hopeful look before turning back to Finn and beginning her dry conversation with the boy.

Rachel cleared her throat awkwardly and smoothed down her skirt, glancing at Noah Puckerman who sat beside her, his arms crossed against his chest and his feet raising to rest on the railing in front of them. His converse were trashed, his jeans were baggy, and he was wearing a nice black leather jacket. His mowhawk was fully spike and he had his signature bad ass look etched on his face.

"Hey Rachel." The boy said finally, glancing at the brunette out of the corner of his eye.

She had only talked to the boy on rare occasions and she didn't know much about him, only from what she heard from rumors, and from what Quinn had told her.

"Hello Noah," She noticed the boy cringing at the use of his surname and she couldn't help but grin smugly, "how are you today?"

"Pretty good," He said casually, his eyes glancing over Rachel's shoulder at Quinn and the brunette felt the sudden urge to lean over and slap the boy across the face.

He didn't need to be leering at the blonde when he had already caused enough damage!

But she resisted and settled in her seat a bit more.

"This is awkward, I feel like a third wheel," Puck groaned, as he continued leering at Finn and Quinn, "I have never been a third wheel in my life."

Rachel glanced over her shoulder and saw Finn gently place a hand on Quinn's shoulder and the blonde gave the boy a flirty smile, before leaning closer to the him.

Her urge to punch someone was then directed at the tall boy she had previously dated, but instead she glanced at Puck and raised an eyebrow, "Technically, you are not a third wheel because, I'm here with you."

"Yeah, I guess." Puck muttered dryly.

"And it's not like Quinn and Finn are on a date," Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders as the previews flashed on the screen, "besides, Quinn isn't that into him at the moment."

Puck stared at her for a second, his expression changing to hope. His eyebrows knitted together and he bit his bottom lip, "She's not into him?" He questioned.

Going off her nod, Puck was talking again.

"Do you happen to know who she is into?"

Rachel stared at him blankly, not knowing if she was allowed to say him or nobody and Puck took her silence as an obvious reason to start blubbering like the blonde didn't actually mean anything to him.

"I mean, you guys, just have, y'know," He stuttered over his words, "you guys have become good friends this year and I figured you'd know, or that she'd tell you or something. But if she didn't tell you or if it's nobody in particular, I get it."

Rachel stared at him with an amused look on her face and she couldn't help glancing at Quinn who was looking up at the screen before glancing back at Puck.

"She is into someone, but I've not been granted permission to tell you that someone." Rachel said coyly, before leaning back in the chair and glancing up at the movie screen.

Puck stares at her expressionless for a second longer before shifting his gaze to the blonde beside her and Quinn catches his gaze for a brief second. They gave each other a brief smile before they are both ducking their heads away shyly.

Rachel watches the interaction and groans deep inside her throat.

As the movie starts, she glances at Quinn to see the blonde already gripping the edge of her seat, excited for the flick.

Just by the little action, Rachel knows she won't be watching any of the movie.

* * *

><p>Around ten that night, they slowly pulled up to the driveway of the Berry's household.<p>

Quinn got out of the car before Rachel did, and as soon as she stepped out, she was hit with a burst of cold wind and she glanced at Quinn who had the same horrified, freezing look on her face.

"The porch!" She hissed, immediately taking off in a dead sprint towards the front porch of her house. She spots the porch swing swaying in the wind and she makes her way over and plops down on the seat and watched as Quinn shoved her hands in her coat pockets and ducked her head a little further into her jacket before taking a seat beside Rachel.

Although it was cold outside, with Quinn being so close to her, she didn't feel as cold.

They stayed quiet for a second and Rachel was flickering her gaze back and forth between their breaths that flowed through the air and she couldn't help but being amused by it. It reminded her of a quote she had seen while browsing the internet one time about how some teenagers party all the time, but she was the type of teenager that pretended she was a dragon and watched her breath when it was cold outside.

"Sorry we didn't get to have as much of a girl's night as we wished." Quinn apologized, glancing up at Rachel and frowning.

The brunette shrugged her shoulders. They could have been robbing a store or living the last night of their lives, and she wouldn't have cared as long as she had Quinn right beside her.

"You are way more interesting than Finn by the way," Quinn stated, glancing out at the street, "all he wanted to talk about was football and Xbox."

"He is a boy, Quinn." Rachel giggled, nudging the blonde's side with her elbow.

"I know," Quinn grunted, "he was just annoying."

Rachel nodded and waited for Quinn to ask the question she knew was bugging her.

"How was talking with Puck?"

Rachel snorted, "What's your real question?"

Quinn gave her an unamused look, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what's your real question?" Rachel rolled her eyes and growled at Quinn's confused expression. "Don't play stupid with me Quinn Fabray, I know you've got some other more important question you want to ask, so just get it off your chest."

Quinn narrowed her eyes playfully and shoved Rachel, "You think you know me so well don't you, Berry?"

The brunette just smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, fine," Quinn huffed, "Did Puck say anything about me?"

Rachel smiled smugly, happy the blonde would stop lying to herself, "Yes."

Quinn immediately stiffened and her eyes shifted from excitement to weary within seconds, "What'd he say?"

Rachel licked her lips, "He asked if you were into someone."

"Oh." Quinn said.

"Yeah."

"What did you say?"

"I said you were into someone but I didn't have permission to tell him who."

"Clever."

"Thanks."

It was silent once again between the two girls and Rachel leaned back to rest her head against the cushion of the seat. She stared out into the street and watched as every few minutes a car would go by and the windows of the houses across the street would light up from the headlights.

It was relaxing.

It was peaceful.

Rachel couldn't help thinking she never hung out with Finn once like she was doing with Quinn just then. With Finn they had to constantly be doing something whether it be watching television, going out to dinner or a movie, they never just sat down and did nothing.

True, doing nothing sounds boring but it's almost romantic in an odd way. To know that you can sit in silence with someone and not have to say anything and just know that the two of you are still madly in love with each other.

If she would have sat in silence with Finn, they would have shifted awkwardly and he would have cleared his throat numerous times and probably started talking within the first minute of silence.

Ten minutes had passed and Rachel nor Quinn had breathed a word, they had just sat in silence listening to the sound of nature skip around them.

Rachel licked her lips and glanced at Quinn who was staring out at the world, her eyes wide and the look of exploration in them.

The brunette noted that she'd have to take the blonde on an adventure in the near future because, that would definitely be something Quinn would want to do.

"It's getting late," Quinn finally breathed out in a soft whisper, and Rachel confirmed the statement with a nod, feeling a wave of sadness hit her because she didn't want the blonde to leave yet. And before she could stand up to say goodbye to the blonde, the blonde was turning towards her and reaching for her hands.

"That means I need to give you your presents before I forget!" The blonde whispered excitedly.

Rachel giggled and felt head rush to her cheeks and she dropped her head shyly as the blonde reached down to her purse and pulled out a tiny little gift basket that had happy birthday on the side, that she had seen earlier in the choir room.

"Sorry it's small, but they are meaningful! I put a lot of thought into them." Quinn whispered, leaning forward and handing Rachel the bag.

"Why are you whispering?" Rachel said in a hushed tone back, reaching for the bag and brushing her fingertips along the blonde's subtly.

"Why are you?" Quinn replied smugly.

"Because you are!" Rachel husked.

Quinn cleared her throat and chuckled throatily, "I don't know, to be honest." The blonde said in a normal tone, "I guess I'm just kind of nervous. I've never really given anyone a birthday present before."

Rachel gasped, this news shocking her.

"Not even Santana?"

Quinn pursed her lips to the side and shook her head, "Santana isn't a present type of person."

Rachel could definitely see that so she shrugged her shoulders and reached inside, her fingers wrapping around a thin cover of something and she pulled it out quickly and examined what it was.

It was a CD case with an actual CD in it, and written on the front was '_Happy Birthday Star_' in Quinn's messy scrawl, and a small smiley face in the corner.

"What's this?" Rachel murmured, flipping the CD over in her hands.

Quinn cleared her throat and bit her lip, "I made a CD for you of some songs I like. I started listening to some of your weird indie music, and I like some of it. So some of the songs I like are on there so you might have heard of them, and others are just my all time favorite songs. But I thought you'd like that because you love music and we could share our music taste with each other, and now I'm turning into you, so y-yeah I'll stop rambling." Quinn stammered, dropping her head.

Rachel giggled, and dropped her hand to Quinn's pant-clad thigh tenderly, "I love it."

Quinn glanced up from beneath her eyelashes and gave a soft smile, "You do?"

Rachel nodded, "Only if there is not any pop songs!"

Quinn chuckled, sticking her tongue out and looking at the brunette thoughtfully, "Be proud of me, there is only three!"

And Rachel was proud to know the blonde had narrowed down her terrible selection of music to just three songs for her.

"Thank you so much, Quinn. I really do love it, I'm going to listen to it when I get upstairs."

Quinn nodded, "Anytime, Rach. The songs are listed on the back, so go ahead and read through them, and then you can open your other presents. There are two other things in there by the way." The blonde pointed her thumb down to the bag, and Rachel groaned.

"You got me more stuff?" She whined.

"It was your birthday, of course I did!" Quinn said obliviously.

Rachel huffed and flipped the CD over quickly scanning the list of songs that were written down in Quinn's scrawl.

_1. __Complicated - Avril Lavigne.  
>2. Some Nights - Fun.<br>3. Somebody That I Used To Know - Goyte.  
>4. Rhythm of Love - Plain White T's.<br>5. I Want You (She's So Heavy) - The Beatles.  
>6. If I Die Young - The Band Perry.<br>7. One Last Thing - Mac Miller.  
>8. Back to December - Taylor Swift.<br>9. Letters From the Sky - Civil Twilight.  
>10. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap.<br>11. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5.  
>12. Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac.<br>13. Vanilla Twilight - Owl City.  
>14. Kids - MGMT.<br>15. I Can Wait Forever - Simple Plan.  
>16. Punching in a Dream - Naked and Famous.<br>17. I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab for Cutie.  
>18. Faithfully - Journey.<br>19. I'll Be - Edwin McCain.  
>20. Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons.<br>21. Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes.  
>22. Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson.<br>23. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry.  
>24. From Underneath - Hawk Nelson.<br>25. Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club.  
>26. Why Am I The One - Fun.<br>27. Brick - Ben Folds Five.  
>28. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman.<br>29. Can't Stand It - Nevershoutnever.  
>30. Can You Feel The Love Tonight - Elton John. <em>

Rachel grinned at the selection of songs and glanced up at Quinn.

The blonde had been right, this was actually a really thoughtful gift and Quinn stared back at her and Rachel didn't know how to express what she was saying, so she simply reached for Quinn's hand and rubbed her fingers over the blonde's knuckles.

They held their intense eye contact for a few beats longer before Rachel sighed over dramatically and glanced down at the bag. She gave Quinn a fake glare before reaching inside the gift bag and wrapping her hand around the next item.

Unlike the CD before, this item was fluffy and Rachel had guessed what it was before she actually pulled it out.

A stuffed animal.

An owl one at that.

Not that she had guess the owl, but she had guessed a stuffed animal.

And she would have never of guessed what would be engraved on the owl's stomach.

'_Owl always love you._' Was by far one of the cutest things she had ever seen written on a stuffed animal.

The whole cuteness of it all nearly made Rachel's heart explode and she giggled girlishly.

"Cheesy I know, but it's clever as well." Quinn said dismissively before reaching in and pulling out the final little card, "I'm especially proud of this, so open it."

Rachel cocked an eyebrow up and set her owl on her lap before taking the card from Quinn's hands and flipping it open.

_'This contract states that Quinn Fabray will not eat meat for two months for Rachel Berry's birthday. She will experience vegan food and give up any food that comes from animals. She will only do this as long as Rachel Berry takes her out to a lovely vegan restaurant.'_

The little saying was printed out on the card and Rachel giggled.

She dropped her head into her hands before glancing back up at the blonde, "Seriously Quinn?"

"It's awesome!" Quinn retorted.

Rachel snorted, "Sure is. Thank you though. I will take you to a vegan restaurant if you really want."

"I do want that, Rach." Quinn smiled, a genuine one and her hazel eyes were shining brightly, obviously proud of herself.

Rachel didn't know how to reply so she simply dropped the items into the bag and brought herself up to sit on her knees before she leaned forward and practically slamming herself into Quinn's arms, hugging the blonde tightly around the neck and burying her nose into the short blonde spikes of hair.

A hug seemed suitable to express her emotions that were coursing through her.

The gift had been something Quinn must have really thought about.

That meant Quinn had been listening to her when she talked about the most random things because she had incorporated all of that into the gift.

And the pure thought of that made Rachel's heart melt.

Quinn actually cared.

The blonde's hair smelled of strawberry shampoo and Rachel unconsciously sniffed it in, her mouth watering at the scent.

It took Quinn a moment to react to the sudden hug, but when she did she wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist just as tightly, and she felt Quinn's breath tickling against her neck.

They held each other for the longest time, just perfectly content in each other's arms, and Rachel wouldn't have had it any other way.

They hugged longer than normal friends hugged but she didn't even care.

In fact she almost cried when she had to pull away and she saw Quinn giving her such a passionate look it almost blew her out of the chair.

"Thank you Quinn Fabray." Rachel husked, reaching for Quinn's hand and squeezing it once before releasing it.

Quinn then did something that nearly made Rachel want to throw herself off a cliff due to the exploding feelings that erupted in her body.

The blonde gripped Rachel's hand and brought it up to her face and kissed the back of her hand gently, her lips smooth and just gently gliding over the soft skin, "It was my immense pleasure Rachel Berry."

Rachel licked her lips, feeling her heart beating so loud in her chest she thought it was going to tear right through her body.

"Good night Rachel, have sweet dreams." Quinn whispered, squeezing Rachel's hand once before standing up and smoothing down her jeans. She flashed Rachel a quick smile before grabbing her purse and leaving the porch, heading towards her car.

Rachel waved after the blonde, not able to form any coherent thoughts other than the fact that Quinn just had her lips on her hand.

Quinn Fabray's lips, on Rachel Berry's hands.

It was almost better than their actual kiss because, Quinn would remember this.

As the car pulled out of the driveway and she just vaguely saw the shadow of Quinn's figure in the window waving at her, Rachel realized she had fallen in the whole she had so desperately tried to stay out of.

She was in love with Quinn Fabray.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N -** I'm just going to apologize in advance for this disgusting chapter, it was by far one of the worst I've ever written and I'm not proud of it whatsoever. I assume I was having a writer's block when I wrote this, but I assure you the next chapter will be ten times better to replace this one. Once again, I'm sorry and thank you for sticking with this story. I love every single person who has reviewed, followed, etc. And I also love the lurkers that read and don't review because, I know I do that sometimes. :) Anyway, enjoy this nastiness.

**Chapter Eight:**

_Well hello Quinn! _

**Oh... Hi Rachel. **

_What's wrong? _

**Nothing?**

_Are you sure? _

**Positive.**

_Okay, you just seem a little off._

**I seem off through one text message? **

_Yeah, sorry. It's probably just me._

**Yeah, just you I think.**

_Okay? So I have a question for you Quinn Fabray._

**Yes? **

_What are you doing tomorrow evening? _

**Nothing that I know of right now.**

_Awesome! Would you like to come over for dinner at my house? My dad's miss you. And secretly, I do too. _

**Oh Rachel. I just remembered I have to do something with Santana and Brittany. Sorry. **

_Oh... That's understandable. What are you girls doing? _

**Ugh... Nothing really. I think we are going to a party.**

_Oh? Well okay, have fun. _

**Yeah, I will. I have to go. Bye Rachel. **

_Bye Quinn.._

* * *

><p>Rachel figured something had been wrong with Quinn considering the girl seemed so distant when they had been texting. But her suspicions were confirmed when Quinn did not sit by her on that Monday at glee rehearsal.<p>

She had willingly saved a seat for the blonde and when the girl walked in Rachel grinned up at the blonde, her eyes bright. The blonde girl gave her a hesitant smile in return and puckered her lips to the side before slowly making her way over to where Brittany and Santana sat.

Rachel sat in her seat shocked as she followed the blonde's movements.

The blonde sat down and crossed her legs, turning her body away from Rachel's gaze.

She didn't make eye contact with Rachel during rehearsal at all.

In fact, Quinn didn't make eye contact with her that whole week.

Every single time Rachel would wave to her in the hallway, the blonde would turn her head almost as if she didn't see it.

But Rachel knew she did.

After the third time she had gotten rejected a simple wave back, Rachel stopped waving and simply leered at the blonde from her locker.

The blonde always had someone around her throughout the school day now.

And it agitated Rachel to no end because she wouldn't approach the blonde when she had one of her _cooler_ friends around, and the blonde knew that and was obviously working it to her advantage.

Rachel, although feeling creepy, was constantly on Quinn's Facebook page checking to see what the blonde was up too.

She was happy to know the blonde hadn't lied to her, she had in fact been with Brittany and Santana the whole weekend.

And every time a picture of the three of them would pop up on her news feed, she felt her stomach churn and she couldn't help but feel jealousy striking deep in the pit of her stomach.

Not because she thought Quinn was ever intimate with the two girls, but because she felt like she would never be as close to Quinn as she was with Brittany and Santana.

And if she couldn't have Quinn as a girlfriend, she'd love to have her as a best friend.

She had wanted to be with Quinn all week and Quinn obviously wasn't reciprocating the same feelings.

So Rachel knew the blonde was purposely ignoring her, although she had no idea why she was.

She didn't do anything wrong.

Did she?

She couldn't have. The only thing that had occurred between the two of them was Quinn kissing Rachel's hand... And that couldn't have affected Quinn that way could it?

Surely not.

* * *

><p>Quinn ignored her texts for another week.<p>

She ignored the calls that followed those texts.

So the brunette brought it upon herself to confront the blonde and ask her what the hell was up her ass.

That Wednesday she marched into the school cafeteria and spotted the blonde sitting by Santana and Brittany.

Rachel felt anxiety course through her veins but she put on her best show face and marched up to the tan colored table and smiled politely at the two Cheerios before glancing at Quinn, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"Hello Quinn." She said, raking her eyes over Quinn's protective posture.

Quinn licked her lips, glancing at the table for a beat before bringing her eyes up to trace Rachel's body, starting at her knees and ending at those chocolate brown eyes.

Rachel could see something laced beneath those hazel orbs, but she couldn't quite tell what it was so she decided to ignore it and brought her arms up to cross over her chest.

"Hey Rachel."

Rachel just continued staring at her, trying to show Quinn how upset she was through her expression. Trying to show her how lonely she had been for the past two weeks without Quinn.

She couldn't help but feeling like she didn't have much of a life before her and the blonde became friends. On the weekends she had sat home.

But when Quinn came around, she was no longer alone on the weekends.

And now that Quinn had been avoiding her, it was just like it used to be.

Lonely.

Her expression wasn't clear enough for Quinn to decipher and the blonde quirked her eyebrows up and glanced awkwardly at her two friends.

"What do you want, Rachel?"

"Are you mad at me?" Rachel blurted out, the blunt statement hanging in the air between the two of them.

Quinn seemed surprised by the straightforward question but managed to respond, "Why would I be?"

"I have no idea, that's the problem. But you've been avoiding me ever since the movie a few weeks ago." Rachel accused.

"I've just been busy, Rach." Quinn lied.

It was like getting a stab in the chest.

Quinn was lying to her.

Lying to her face.

"Busy," Rachel dragged the word out, "well then, okay. Whenever you figure out what I did to make you so upset, let me know." She shot back, letting the anger filter in her voice as she turned and marched away dramatically.

She didn't look back because she knew if she did she'd want to apologize for her harsh comment, so instead she lifted her head and made her way over to where Mercedes and Kurt sat.

The two gave her a concerned look but she shrugged it off as she sat down and dropped her head a little bit, trying to get the beautiful blonde she had been falling for out of her head.

* * *

><p>The next day, Rachel and Kurt sat inside the Lima Bean, coffee cups in both of their hands and just enjoying each others peaceful company, when the peace was ruined by Kurt slamming his fists down onto the wooden table.<p>

The sudden action caused Rachel to jump in her seat.

"Okay Rachel, what's wrong with you?" He exclaimed, tilting his head to the side.

Rachel smoothed down her skirt and cocked one eyebrow up questionably.

Kurt scoffed at the brunette's expression, "C'mon, you've been in a state of depression ever since..." He cut off his sentence and then cocked his eyebrows, "Since Quinn gave you that birthday present you were so happy about."

Rachel swallowed loudly and dropped her head, bringing the coffee cup up to her lips cautiously and ignoring the way Kurt was looking at her.

"So?" He pressed.

Rachel didn't want to say anything. She didn't.

Kurt would automatically go into this big long speech about how she should sweep Quinn off of her feet and everything would turn into rainbows at the end. The boy was all about a fantasy, not about reality. And Rachel saw things the way they were. She knew things with Quinn would never work out because Quinn would never have those same feelings that Rachel had for her.

She didn't lie to herself.

She faced the cold, hard, hurtful truth.

"Nothing is wrong." She finally said, staring at the people that entered the shop while she spoke.

Kurt snorted, "Oh please, the only other time I've seen you this upset is when you realized Finn wasn't as excellent of a kisser as you thought he was."

Rachel grimaced at the mere thought of the first time she kissed the boy and it had been disgusting.

So much saliva.

"I've just been a little down, that's all." Rachel said honestly, trying to get Kurt to get off her ass.

"Down by what?" Kurt continued, raising his eyebrows.

Rachel licked her lips, contemplating what she would say as Kurt stared at her, oblivious to her feelings.

"It's really not that important." Rachel dismissed.

"Rachel, seriously?" Kurt asked skeptically, dropping his hands and gently placing it on top of Rachel's, "I know you honey, don't you remember? I am Kurt, your best friend. I can tell when you are upset and you clearly are. You've been off for quite awhile now and to be honest, it hurts my feelings that you won't tell me. You know if the situation were reversed I'd tell you."

Rachel felt guilty, she really did.

Kurt was her best friend and she hadn't been sharing anything with him lately.

And although she hadn't read the best friend hand book lately, she was pretty sure that wasn't something best friends did to each other.

It wasn't like she was afraid of Kurt judging her because the boy was as straight as a circle.

It was just, she didn't want Kurt to see her so weak. So smitten over someone she didn't even have a chance with.

She glanced up at the boy who was staring down at her, his eyes showing sympathy and understanding and she pursed her lips to the side.

She heaved a loud sigh before glancing up and biting her bottom lip, "I like someone."

"Quinn?" The boy immediately brightened, a grin appearing on his face.

Rachel gasped and glanced around the shop, "Shut up!" She hissed, ducking her head into her hands embarrassed.

"How'd you know?"

Kurt giggled, "Have you seen the way you look at her?"

"That's bullshit!" Rachel argued, "I look at her just like I look at you."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Honey, we have some serious trouble if you are really telling yourself that."

Rachel bit her lip and her sharp retort she previously was going to say disappeared from her lips and Kurt was leaning forward, studying her expression carefully.

"It is Quinn, right?" Kurt said once, just for the confirmation.

The brunette dug her fingernails into her palms before nodding her head once, "Yeah, yeah, it is."

Kurt nodded, narrowing his eyes and staring at Rachel, noticing the sad expression that crossed her face, "Tell me about it, Rach. I'm all ears."

Rachel looked up at the boy and chewed on her lip nervously, "I don't really know what there is to tell about it."

"Well," Kurt said, taking a sip of his coffee, "are you gay?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, "I think I might just be gay for Quinn Fabray."

"I see." Kurt breathed, "Well tell me how you feel about her."

The brunette swallowed loudly and nervously, "I think I love her Kurt."

"You think?" He pressed.

"Yeah," She started, "I've never felt like this about anyone before. She makes me happy, she makes me feel like I'm on the moon. And I feel lik-like, here's a comparison," She stopped to lick her lips and thought over what she was going to say next, "My heart is the moon and she is an astronaut. She can step all over my heart, jump on it, kick rocks on it, and so forth. But you know what, at the end of the day an astronaut's footprint will always be on the moon, and she will always be in my heart."

She stopped and gathered her thoughts before continuing.

"Does that make any sense, whatsoever?"

"That's very romantic, actually." Kurt admitted, " I never pegged you as the romantic type, but that's really sweet, Rachel. And it does make sense."

"I am very romantic," Rachel defended herself, her eyebrows raising, "but yeah, I was kind of an a state of denial for about two months, but then the other day when she took me out to that movie, I realized..." She paused and gnawed on her lip thoughtfully, "I realized I loved her."

"Are you sure it's not just the she's-my-best-friend type of love?"

"I'm not sure!" Rachel's voice rose in dismay, "What's the difference?"

Kurt giggled, "Well do you want to fuck her brains out?"

"Kurt!" Rachel guffawed and slapped the boys arm roughly.

"What?" The boy retorted, "It's the truth. The only way you know if you are gay for Fabray is if you think about having sex with her. If you think about just being around her, and hugging her and stuff, then you just love her like a friend. But if you can see yourself in a compromising situation with the girl? Then yeah, you might actually be gay for her."

Had she thought about being intimate with Quinn?

She pondered the thought for a second before replying honestly, "Yeah, I'm definitely gay for her."

Kurt stared at her amused, "And this is what makes you so upset? Knowing you are in love?"

"Knowing I'm in love with a girl," Rachel added, "but that's only partially the reason, the other half is she has been avoiding me ever since my birthday. And I have absolutely no clue why."

Kurt nodded, his eyes distant, "Is it possible she could have the same feelings but she doesn't want to admit to them so she is avoiding you so she doesn't have to deal with them."

Rachel scoffed loudly, and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right."

"It's a real possibility. I've always thought Quinn might be a bit gay." Kurt said, shrugging his shoulders and taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Quinn?" Rachel said unsure, "I doubt that."

"She's with Santana and Brittany all the time." Kurt hinted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rachel asked stupidly.

"Ugh, seriously?" Kurt raised his voice, "Santana and Brittany have been screwing around for the past three years, it's written on both of their faces. They are capital G-A-Y, for each other."

"Really?" Rachel said shocked.

"You've seen it, don't lie you little bitch." Kurt growled playfully, "You are a terrible liar, Rachel Berry."

Rachel shrugged, pursing her lips to the side, "Whatever, that doesn't mean Quinn is gay because her best friends might be."

"Whatever you think Rachel." Kurt said, smiling widely as he took a sip of his coffee.

"What I think is right." Rachel growled back.

Kurt sighed, and brought his hands down to Rachel's and traced his thumb over her knuckles, "Rachel, have you ever heard of a threesome?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and giggled, tipping back in her chair and bringing the coffee cup to her lips, "Ass."

* * *

><p>She's walking down the hall quietly, her ear buds placed tightly in her ears, and minding her own business, when she looks up and sees it.<p>

At first, Rachel doesn't move when she sees Finn leaning over Quinn, his dopey flirty smile on his face.

But when the boy leans forward and strokes a piece of blonde hair out of the girl's face, she hustles towards a group of people and stands behind them watching the interaction between the two teenagers.

She narrows her eyes when the boy shifts, and Quinn starts laughing loudly, her arms clutching her binders closer to her chest.

They continue on like that for the next minute until a shrill bell interrupts the pair, and Rachel watches as Quinn says goodbye, and turns to leave but is stopped by the bulking boy.

Her heart freezes when Finn leans down and grazes his lips over Quinn's cheek.

Even from the distance she is at, Rachel still sees the red invade Quinn's cheeks and she feels her own heat rushing to her cheeks, and she bites on her lip roughly as the boy walks away.

She was infuriated.

How the hell could Quinn do this?

How the hell could Quinn let Finn peck her on the cheek?

Before she even realized what she was doing, she was marching over to Quinn, who hadn't noticed her yet.

But she sure as hell noticed her when the brunette roughly grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards the nearest restroom.

Rachel could see the guilt written all over Quinn's face, but she didn't give the blonde any time to react, as she walked faster down the hall.

Once inside the room, she slams the door shut and locks it, just to confirm there will be no visitors on her endless argument she was about to have with the blonde.

She hears Quinn panting behind her and she turns to see a flushed blonde and she feels her anger evaporate but she manages to hold a straight face.

"What the hell was that?" Rachel growled, throwing her school books on the ground loudly, which caused the blonde to jump.

"Rach, it was not-"

"Cut the bullshit, Quinn." Rachel interrupted, "I'll ask again. What the hell was that?"

Quinn stared at her for a second, and glanced down at her feet.

"You don't have any right to be mad." Quinn whispered just loud enough to the brunette to hear.

The single comment made Rachel even more furious and she knitted her eyebrows together.

"Are you kidding me? You wer-are, flirting with my ex!"

_You're breaking my heart. _

"You said you were over him?"

_I am over him! But I'm not over you! _"Yeah, I lied." Rachel hissed, "And I might not have the right to get pissed off by that, but I do have the right to be pissed off because, you've been avoiding me because, of Finn. What if it were Puck?"

"Shut the hell up!" Quinn immediately growled stepping forward and bringing her hands up to shove Rachel roughly.

The brunette managed to stay on her feet and she sneered at Quinn, "See. You'd be pissed off too."

"I'm sorry I like him!" Quinn replied, her anger bristling even more and Rachel was ready for another shove.

"Yeah me too because, he's a complete moron."

"Hey, don't call him that!" Quinn defended the boy.

"He is!" Rachel accused, "I would know, I dated him for a long time!"

"I'm going to Prom with him!" Quinn shouted over Rachel's comment.

It was silent in the room and the blonde's voice echoed off the tile walls.

"You-your what?" Rachel stammered quietly.

"I'm going to prom with him." Quinn admitted guiltily.

The brunette felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and she felt the anger leave her body only to be replaced with sadness.

_I want you to go to Prom with me. _"Oh." She whispered.

"I'm sorr-"

"Don't say sorry." Rachel muttered, "You were right, I don't have any reason to be mad. I can't keep holding onto him forever." _I need to let you go._

"Rachel, I still want to be friends." Quinn said sadly.

"We are friends, Quinn. We are friends." Rachel said, turning and bending to reach her books.

"Rache-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine, I got to go." Rachel said in a hurry before opening the door leaving a shocked and confused blonde behind her.

Five minutes later she was walking into Kurt's math class and making up some lame excuse to get Kurt out of the classroom.

When the boy exited the room and saw Rachel with tears falling down her face, he wasted no time in wrapping her up in his arms. He stroked her hair and rested his cheek on the top of her head as Rachel choked out in sobs.

At that point, it wasn't little tears falling.

It was a full on sobfest.

She could feel her chest heaving up and down and she could feel her nose beginning to stuff up and all she could think about is how she would rather be sleeping at the moment, or drinking some goddamn water.

"What's wrong honey?" Kurt cooed, swaying the girl in his arms as he allowed her to ruin his fancy shirt.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." She responded back in split sentences due to her crying.

"It'll work out." Kurt assured, pulling her to the closest wall and gently sitting down with her in his arms.

"Will it?" Rachel retorted sarcastically, feeling tears hit her dry lips.

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Rachel. Now let it out."

And let it out she did.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - **Thank you all for the support of this story, I truly appreciate it. The reactions to the last chapter blew me away and I'm quite surprised to say the least, but thank you anyway! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the song that Rachel sings is _The Gambler _by Fun. It's a great song and a great band, so I highly suggest you check them out! Enjoy!

**Chapter Nine: **

She can't sleep.

Physically, she is drained.

That morning she had thought she'd fall asleep as soon as she hit her pillow, but since it was nearing two in the morning, her thoughts had changed.

Mentally, she was drained and yet her thoughts were in a full relay race.

She hadn't talked to Quinn in three days.

Three _fucking_ days.

Now if she were thinking rationally, she'd know she was overreacting. Three days wasn't a long time.

But to Rachel it felt like a century.

And it only made her more stressed out when she'd walk into one of her many classes with Quinn and she would act like everything was just picture perfect in her own life.

Where in Rachel's life, it was all crumbling down.

She had to force herself to turn the opposite way every time she would see Quinn walking down the hall in her direction.

She had to force herself to not punch Finn Hudson in the face every time the boy sat down next to the blonde in Glee and casually wrapped his arm around her.

She had to shut off her phone just so she wouldn't have the urge to call the blonde.

If she kept her phone on, she'd end up calling the girl and sob into the phone all night and beg for forgiveness.

She missed the blonde that much.

So this left her on a Friday night at two in the morning, trying to go to sleep but being unable to.

Rachel rustled the pillows and the blanket that covered her legs before flipping on her right side and looking at the door to her room. She studied it for a moment before she shut her eyes and tried to force her dreams to come.

They didn't.

She groaned and flipped over to her left side, facing the window that stared out into the front yard.

She copied her movements and shut her eyes, trying to make drea-

_Whack!_

Rachel shot straight up in her bed, her heart pounding against her chest.

Something had definitely whacked against her window.

She narrowed her eyes and clung to the purple colored sheets.

Holy hell, she was imagining things now.

She continued to observe the window, waiting for any signs of movement and after a minute she slowly lowered herself back to the bed, her eyes still glued to the glass.

_Whack!_

She sprung up once again from the bed.

She swung the covers off of her and placed her feet on the wooden floor. She heaved herself up to a standing position and pushed her hair out of her face as she cautiously made her way over to the window, peering out at the world and seeing nothing.

_Whack!_

A rock thumped against the cool glass of the window and she nearly screamed at the sudden noise.

After she had recovered from her mini heart attack she brought her hands up to grasp the clip that held the window in the locked position. She tugged at it swiftly and it came undone and she grabbed the bottom of the frame and lifted it up quickly.

Cold wind hit her face and she wrapped herself up in her arms before leaning forward and glancing out the window.

She didn't see anything at first, so she squinted her eyes and peered further into the yard.

And that's when she spotted the red shot hazel eyes, the weak smile, and the messy haired blonde.

"Quinn," Rachel growled, gripping the edges of her window and looking down at the blonde, "what the hell are you doing?"

"Wachel Bewwy! I've come to wescue you my Queen." The blonde slurred, holding her hands out dramatically and dropping her jacket on the grass in the process.

"Are you drunk?" The brunette hissed out rhetorically.

Of course the blonde was drunk, she nearly fell just by lifting her goddamn hands in the air.

"No!" Quinn shouted, but her eyes flickered guiltily and she sighed, holding her hands up in mock defense, "Okay, maybe a little."

Rachel grunted a curse and leaned against the frame of the window as she stared at Quinn for a beat.

"What do you want Quinn? I was sleeping." Rachel lied through gritted teeth.

"I wanted to apology," Quinn frowned adorably, "I mean I wanted to apology-apologize."

The blonde finished her sentence and her nose flickered and Rachel's heart melted at the sight.

"What for?" Rachel pressed.

The blonde grunted and turned around looking for something and Rachel watched her curiously, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly.

Quinn made her way over to the air conditioner sitting on the ground and clumsily made her way on top of it. She continued her journey by trying to grip one of the boards that was on the house, but growled when her fingers slipped. She looked around and saw a tiny maple tree sitting on the ground that just barely touched the top of Rachel's window. The blonde hesitatingly stepped over onto the lowest part of the tree and grasped the top branch, that shifted under her weight.

Rachel gasped in fear when the blonde's foot slipped.

Quinn managed to find her footing on a lower branch and Rachel sighed in relief, and gripped the edge of window and looked out further.

"Quinn, stop it!" She demanded.

She wasn't about to let the love of her life kill herself by climbing up the tiny tree.

"Wachel, shut up." Quinn grunted as she pulled herself up further.

"Well there's a front door, at least let me open it and you can come up and talk to me like a civilized person!" She complained, sitting up and preparing herself to hustle down the stairs.

"Why? This is mowe thwill seeking." Quinn teased as she gripped another branch and Rachel bit her bottom lip as the tree swayed beneath the girl.

Rachel basically threw herself out the window and dropped her hand down which was only centimeters away from Quinn, "Grab my hand you idiot."

Quinn looked as if she was going to refuse, but noticed Rachel's pleading look and the blonde sighed, lifting her hand and gripping Rachel's outstretched hand and allowed herself to be pulled up.

They both struggled for a minute until Quinn grabbed the edge of the window frame and found footing on the edge of the house.

Rachel leaned forward and gripped one of Quinn's belt loops in her jeans and brought her inside the room, all the while cursing herself for allowing the blonde to attempt something so dangerous.

When the blonde was all the way through the window, she lost her footing and slipped, tackling Rachel into the floor and they both landed with a loud crash on the wooden floor.

Rachel froze and when the blonde felt her freeze she copied her movement, and Rachel listened to the sound of footsteps, hoping the ruckus hadn't caused her fathers wake up and come check on her.

She could only imagine what they would say if they walked in on the drunken blonde on top of her.

When no movement was heard, other than the sound of the house creaking, Quinn sighed and pushed herself up on her forearms, but didn't move away from being on top of the smaller girl's body.

Rachel kept her face frozen in a hard line and looked up at the blonde who smiled cheekily, the traces of alcohol still in her bloodshot eyes.

"Hi." Quinn whispered and her breath blew all over Rachel's face, which caused the brunette to get momentarily distracted.

The blonde's breath tasted like vodka and strawberries and it enticed Rachel further to the point where Rachel was gripping the edges of her pajama pants so she wouldn't grip Quinn's protruding hips instead.

Like she had a few days prior, she put on her best show face and shoved the blonde off of her.

Quinn toppled to the ground beside her and hissed out a muttered"fuck" while Rachel sat up and ran a hand through her hair before turning and glaring at the blonde angrily.

"What the hell do you think you are doing here?"

"I'm apologizing!" Quinn grumbled, "I said that down thewe. Didn't you heaw me?"

Rachel found a slurring Quinn absolutely precious but she pushed down the butterflies in her stomach and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you apologizing for Quinn? I told you I was fine and that we were good."

Quinn snorted and even in her hazy state the blonde was still able to make fun of the brunette.

"Yeah wight." Quinn muttered, rolling her eyes and scooting towards the end of the wall to lean back against it.

Rachel narrowed her eyes at the girl and copied her movements by moving back towards her bed and leaning back against the mattress.

"Wach, don't fowget that I kind of know you now. I know when you awe lying." Quinn muttered sternly, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them tightly.

Rachel followed the movement and sighed, dropping her shoulders defeated.

"Why are you so drunk?" Rachel asked concerned, finally taking in the smaller details of Quinn's appearance.

On her jaw, there was a tiny bruise forming as if someone had accidentally hit the girl. Her short hair was sticking in every direction and it looked messy. She looked tired, almost as if she had been getting as much sleep as Rachel had the past few days. She wasn't wearing her cross necklace, which was unusual for her.

In basic terms, she looked just about as bad as Rachel felt.

"Finn took me to a pawty at Puck's. A lot of guys fwom othew schools wewe thewe and he ditched me halfway thwough. I got elbowed in the face by some boy. It was a mess. And when I lost Finn I figuwed I should come by and tell you how much of a bitch I was being." Quinn shrugged, fumbling with her fingers on her lap.

Rachel nodded glancing down at her own lap and feeling heat invade her cheeks.

"I shouldn't have been so mad." She admitted.

Quinn shook her head quickly, "You had evewy wight to be mad. I was fliwting with youw ex. That's bad on evewy level. And I won't go to the dance with him if you don't want me to."

Although the idea was tempting, Rachel shook her head no and sighed, "No you can. I am over him, Quinn. It-it's just it shocked me and it upset me that you avoided me because of it." Rachel admitted, and she felt sadness start to creep up her stomach and she cleared her throat, her mouth still dry. "You know you can tell me anything, and I thought I made that pretty clear."

She felt that sadness creeping up her like a spider on it's web.

She didn't want to cry in front of Quinn.

She didn't want to seem so weak.

Hadn't she cried enough in the past week?

"I'm sowwy." Quinn whispered, her head drooping as she noticed those brown eyes filling with liquid.

"It's okay." Rachel lied and dropped her own head so her hair covered her face like a curtain.

But it was no use because, a second later she was being wrapped up into arms that were surprisingly stronger than Kurt's and she felt hair tickling the ends of her cheeks.

"God, I'm a tewwible fwiend. I'm so sowwy." Quinn whispered, as Rachel dropped her head to the blonde's shoulder and breathed in the presence of the blonde.

Although her breath smelled like alcohol, her body smelled like roses and Rachel wanted to lay in a Quinn-smelling garden forever.

"Things have just been wough lately." Quinn admitted, her hands rubbing up and down Rachel's back as Rachel silently cried, trying to take in everything the blonde was saying, "I've been dealing with a lot."

"Y-you could tell me about it!" Rachel stammered, bringing her face back to look at the girl.

The blonde stared at her sadly, and she brought her hands up to cup Rachel's face and her thumbs swiped across the girls cheeks to wipe away the falling tears.

"Don't cwy, I can't deal with cwying." Quinn whispered, and Rachel bit down on her bottom lip feeling guilty.

"I want to tell you, I do. But I can't. I'm not weady yet." Quinn breathed, dropping her head sadly. "I'm not weady for wejection, or wowse being judged."

Rachel ignored the way her head told her that Quinn could be talking about her and instead, she brought her own hand up to cup the blonde's cheek. She felt the sadness subside, but the tears remained on her face. "I understand, Quinn. I do. And whenever you are ready I'm here for you."

"Thank you." Quinn whispered and brought her head up to glance at Rachel from beneath her eyelashes.

"I have to tell you something though." Rachel said, still aware that she was sitting on the blonde's lap and they were inches away.

"Shoot."

Rachel licked her lips and brought one hand up to wipe away the remaining tears on her face and run it through her hair.

"I might be going to the dance with Jesse St. James." Rachel said, anticipating Quinn's reaction.

The blonde didn't say anything and it worried Rachel.

But when she did it wasn't what Rachel had been expecting.

The blonde brought her hand up and pushed Rachel's bangs out of her face.

"You are so beautiful." Quinn said normally, the slur gone from her voice, almost as if she had flipped a switch going from drunk to sober.

Rachel cocked her eyebrows up confused, but flattered.

"Thanks, but did you hear me?" Rachel asked again, and she was stopped by Quinn's thumb tracing her bottom lip.

Rachel froze and watched the blonde. The girl's eyes were narrowed and her face was hard and she looked like she so much to say but she was unable to say it.

Like every day of her life, Rachel would have given anything to be buried deep within Quinn's brain at that moment.

Just for a split second she wanted to see what Quinn was thinking.

"I heard you." Quinn murmured, leaning forward and sighing.

Her breath washed over Rachel's face and the brunette felt her mind go fuzzy and she was suddenly having a very hard time concentrating on her surroundings and all she could think about how everything about Quinn suddenly became amplified.

The thumb that was stroking her cheekbone.

That musky vodka breath she was inhaling.

The blonde's thighs flexing beneath her legs.

_Shift._

_Breath in._

_Breath out._

Rachel licked her lips and leaned forward.

Her forehead touched Quinn's and the blonde's nose brushed against hers.

"I'm going to kiss you." Quinn said, no ounce of hesitation in her voice.

All Rachel had to do was nod and then the blonde lips were on hers.

Those warm wet lips she had missed so much.

It was even better than the first time.

Quinn's lips were warm and smooth and they glided over Rachel's as if they were made for her.

Rachel leaned upwards and she felt her breasts brush against Quinn's and she couldn't help but let out a little whining sound in the base of her throat.

Quinn reacted by dropping her hands to Rachel's back and digging her fingertips beneath Rachel's shoulder blades and holding her in place.

She brought her hands up quickly to wrap into Quinn's silky short locks and she gripped them tightly, gently pulling on them which released a loud grunt from Quinn and suddenly those lips were gone, and she felt the blonde shiver beneath her and pull her closer.

The act was so intimate, it almost scared Rachel.

"What's wron-" Her concerned comment was cut off by a pair of teeth nipping at her pulse point and she moaned loudly, thrusting her hips forward against the blonde.

"Nothing," Quinn whispered from beneath her, her voice husky and oozing with sex, "you are just so-" Rachel smiled smugly when she rolled her hips down and the blonde was momentarily distracted, _"Fuck-_you are just so gorgeous."

Rachel shook her head and she dropped her legs to straddle the blonde's lap, and she felt those thighs beneath hers, and all she had to do was push her hips forward a fraction and they'd finally be able to connect core to-

But Quinn wasn't having any of that.

As soon as Rachel was about to grind down on the girl, Quinn was shifting beneath her and she was picked up off the ground.

Not five seconds later they were standing and Rachel was gripping onto Quinn, her arms wrapped tightly around the blonde's neck and her legs flexing around the girl's waist.

And then those hands dropped from her lower back to her ass to support her and she mewled, feeling Quinn kiss a line from her neck to her shoulder and back as they began moving in the direction of the bed.

Rachel had only seen girls get picked up like this in movies and she felt ecstatic that Quinn could do it to her.

"You-you're so strong." Rachel stammered out, tilting her head to the side to give the blonde more access to her neck.

She felt the blonde chuckle beneath her as the blonde's knees hit the bed and they slowly descended down onto it. "You're just small."

When her head hit the pillows Quinn wasted no time, she draped herself over the brunette and attacked her lips once more.

But this time the lips were softer and when her tongue flicked out it wasn't rushed.

Instead of trying to molest Rachel with her tongue, Quinn took her time in tracing the brunette's full lips with her wet tongue before silently asking for permission.

And when Rachel opened her mouth and their tongues tentatively met, Quinn let out a moan and she felt a hand grip her hips.

Rachel gripped Quinn's cheeks and just felt everything going on around her.

She felt the way Quinn's tongue brushed against hers, slow and sensually. She felt one of Quinn's arms flexing right beside her head to support her body weight. She felt the blonde's breath mingling with her own. She felt the heat swimming off of Quinn's body.

And she couldn't tell if it was Quinn or hers, but one of their hearts was beating awfully fast.

And then she knew it was Quinn's because hers stopped when she felt cold fingers brush her bare skin beneath her shirt.

Rachel was nearly positive Quinn was going to go in for a quick touch on her breasts, but instead the blonde's hand simply traced circles on her skin and she relaxed further into the pillows as their kisses slowed.

She kept her eyes closed as Quinn pecked her lips once more before pulling away.

She could still feel Quinn on top of her.

She could still feel Quinn's hand stroking her stomach.

But most of all she could just still feel Quinn with her, physically and mentally and it made her one of the happiest girls on the world.

She opened her eyes to see Quinn staring at her with a sideways smile on her face.

"What?" Rachel whispered self-consciously, wondering if she had something on her face.

She began to shrink away but a hand on her cheek stopped her.

Quinn cupped her cheek even more and Rachel couldn't resist leaning into it subtly.

"Nothing," Quinn breathed, pursing her lips, "It's just-people like you don't exist."

Rachel rolled her eyes and giggled, "Oh whatever."

"It's true, Rachel." Quinn murmured, stroking the brunette's cheek once more before rolling off of her and laying down on her side. "You are to beautiful for this world, for this town, for everything. It's like you're not real."

Rachel was about to have a sarcastic retort but the blonde pulled her sides gently and the brunette cuddled into her, wrapping one arm around the blonde's waist while Quinn's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

The blonde kissed the top of the girls head and dropped her cheek to lay down against the brown hair.

"That was an amazing kiss." Quinn said after a beat of silence.

"Agreed." Rachel said, leaning further into the blonde.

"The best first kiss ever."

Rachel felt the need to tell the blonde the truth, that it wasn't _actually _the first time they had ever kissed, but she bit her tongue and nodded, "It was, Quinn."

She felt the blonde hum a response beneath her.

The brunette sat up for a second before pulling the comforter over the two of them before snuggling back down into the blonde.

Two minutes later she was nearly asleep when a final thought popped into her head, "You'll remember this in the morning... Right?"

There was no answer.

And Rachel looked up in dismay to find a sleeping Quinn Fabray.

Her thoughts raced of one simple sentence and it was-

_I'm so fucked._

* * *

><p>"So, what happened last night?" Quinn had muttered in the morning, her hair messy and her eyes squinted, trying to avoid the harsh morning light that poured in through Rachel's window.<p>

That simple sentence was the destruction of Rachel Berry.

She wanted to demolish it.

How could Quinn not remember for the second fucking time kissing her?

It wasn't fair.

It was as if God wanted to ruin her life.

It was like fate didn't want them to be together.

"You came over and apologized completely drunk." Rachel had lied through gritted teeth, playing with her fingernails.

"Oh."

And that was all for that conversation.

Quinn had went home an hour later, giving Rachel a warm hug and apologizing once more.

After that they went on like everything was normal.

Except it wasn't normal when the day of the dance came around.

She had been minding her own business, grabbing her binders from her locker, when Quinn came up beside her, a plump lip stuck in between her teeth.

"Hey Rach." The blonde murmured shyly, and Rachel turned her head to smile politely up at the girl.

"Hello Quinn." She replied and reached inside her locker for one of her binders. She shut the door slowly, observing Quinn's withdrawn posture.

"So," Quinn dragged out the word, "It's official, you are going with Jesse tonight?"

Rachel giggled and nodded shyly, "I am."

"Alright," Quinn sounded a tad disappointed and she nodded, "I'll see you there right?"

"Obviously." Rachel mused, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Good," Quinn murmured and clapped her hands on her sundress, "well, save me a dance."

And then she was gone, forever leaving Rachel breathless.

* * *

><p>"Rachel, you look beautiful." Jesse said for the thirtieth time as they made their way to McKinley High School.<p>

Yes, the high school.

Their school district was so cheap they didn't bother to pay enough money to take the seniors to a fancy hotel for their prom. Instead they shipped them all to the gym and told them to have a party.

And worse they didn't even hire a good DJ.

It was always the regular DJ Dax, who thought he was the hottest piece of ass ever. And his one line was always, "Let's make memories tonight kids, not babies."

It was as if he expected everyone to find him absolutely hilarious when he was not.

Rachel had been ecstatic to go to the dance with Jesse. He was nice boy, and her fathers approved of him. He could keep her on the top of her game, unlike Finn. His talent had the tendency to be intimidating, but it also meant he was a good leaning man. But by far the best thing was they weren't to much like each other, but they weren't to much unlike each other either. Their diva personalities made them mix well, and Rachel found herself enjoying the boys presence.

Until he began muttering that she looked amazing every five minutes, and she couldn't help but getting a little annoyed every time he blurted out the comment.

She felt the big hand close around her tiny one and he laced their fingers together, and she felt a blush invade her cheeks and she smiled, "Thanks Jesse. You look dashing as well."

Quinn's hand was so much smaller-

_Focus._

She had mentally prepped herself to stay focused solely on Jesse that night. She wasn't going to get distracted by Quinn.

She wasn't.

The boy smiled and pulled up to the parking lot of the high school, parking his car in a spot close to the front door before jumping out of the car and nearly tripping over his own feet to open the brunette's door for her.

She giggled but was happy to know the boy had some common courtesy and was an actual gentleman.

Rachel slowly made her way out of the car, with the help of Jesse gripping her hand.

Once she stepped out into the cold air, the boy shut the door, and they slowly made their way to the entrance of the building.

Rachel couldn't help but looking around the nearly empty parking lot for any sign of a blonde, hazel-eyed beauty.

When Quinn was not spotted Rachel couldn't help but feeling a bit disappointed, and she tightened her hold on Jesse's arm and smiled at the chaperone who was standing at the front door collecting tickets.

Jesse reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the set of tickets Rachel had given him earlier and handed them over to the man waiting at the booth. The guy briefly glanced over the tickets before nodding and turning to the couple that had walked up behind them.

Jesse quickened his pace and hurried inside the building, dragging Rachel behind him.

They entered the gym where the dance was being held and they stopped at the doorway to take it all in. Balloons were everywhere, lights were flashing and the DJ was playing horrendous pop music.

Rachel glanced at Jesse who was grimacing along with her and she couldn't help but being thankful Jesse had a good taste in music.

So far, there was a lot of positives to Jesse and only one negative.

She mentally noted that and smiled up at the boy.

They walked towards the nearest table and Jesse politely pulled out the chair for her and she smiled shyly and sat down, smoothing out her cream colored dress.

The boy grinned and told her he would be back as he headed to get some punch for the two of them.

She sat quietly and looked around in hopes of seeing the blonde, but feeling sad when she didn't.

That was until she felt a set of hands covering her eyes and squeaky voice yelling, "Guess who?"

She knew who it was even before the blonde stepped in her line of sight.

But Rachel didn't even answer because, she was blown away by Quinn's appearance. Her hair was straightened, and she had the most beautiful blue dress on that flowed out right at the end of her thighs. Her make up reflected the blue dress and she looked absolutely breathtaking.

Rachel stared at her with wide eyes and she felt like she was seeing the sun for the first time.

Was this was being in love felt like?

She had no clue, but if it was, it was fucking amazing.

"Hi Rach!" The blonde said cheerily and pulled the girl up towards her, wrapping the smaller brunette up into a tight hug.

God, she even smelled good.

Rachel wrapped her arms around the girls waist tightly and nuzzled her nose closer into Quinn's hair.

She barely even noticed Finn standing beside them with his hands stuffed in his pants pocket awkwardly.

When Quinn released her she pulled back and smiled, still taken back by the blonde's appearance.

"You look great!" Quinn said, smoothing down Rachel's hair comfortingly.

The brunette nodded in a daze and ducked away shyly, "Y-yo-you,"

She cursed herself for the unintelligent response and the blonde quirked her trademark eyebrow up curiously.

The brunette took a breath to calm herself before smiling shyly, "You look beautiful, Quinn."

Quinn stared at her for a beat before nodding, "Thank you."

"No like seriously-" Rachel felt like her point hadn't gotten across like she would have liked, "like you are breathtaking. Like, there is not one girl in this room that compares to you."

That was the most likes she had ever said in one sentence, but she had no other way to describe how magnificent the blonde looked.

The blonde's cheeks started filling with a cherry color and she bit her lip, "Oh stop."

Rachel shook her head quickly, way past the point of embarrassment, "I won't stop until you realize Quinn that you are gorgeous. I'm almost embarrassed standing by you when you look so, just..." She cut herself off and shook her head, understanding she was probably looking like a blubbering idiot.

The blonde smirked and stepped forward hugging the brunette once more, and leaning down to whisper in the brunette's ear, "Don't doubt yourself, Rach. You are beautiful beyond words."

Rachel opened her mouth to reply but she caught Jesse's eye standing behind the blonde and she slowly sighed and pulled away from the blonde before nodding her head in the direction of the boy.

Quinn's expression changed and she looked angry and she stepped back towards Finn, giving a curt nod to the boy. "Jesse, it's nice to finally put a face to the name."

"Same. And you must be Quinn, correct? I've heard plenty about you." Jesse replied smoothly before turning to Rachel and handing her the red punch he had gotten for her.

Quinn caught Rachel's gaze and the blonde smiled smugly that Rachel had mentioned her.

The brunette blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor.

She took a drink of the ice cold beverage and it cooled her dry throat.

The boy brought out his hand, as if asking for a dance and Rachel set her cup down glancing at the blonde and giving her a tentative wave.

"I'll come find you later for a dance." Rachel murmured, and allowed herself to be swept away into the boys arms.

* * *

><p>She isn't even paying attention to Jesse while they circle around the dance floor.<p>

All she can do is pay attention to the blonde that's wrapped up in Finn's arms across the dance floor.

The couples glide along the floor and Rachel has her eyes glued to Quinn's.

The blonde had occasionally made eye contact and smiled shyly before ducking her head further into Finn's shoulder.

They had yet to dance and Rachel had been waiting impatiently all night for the chance to wrap her arms around the blonde.

And she got her chance when, in Rachel's opinion, one of the most romantic songs began playing through the speakers in the gym.

Rachel released her grip on Jesse and gave him an apologetic smile, "I'm going to dance with Quinn, I promised her I'd save her one."

Jesse seemed to understand and smiled, "Sounds good to me. I'll find you after."

She watched him walk away for a beat before she turned and strode over to Quinn and Finn. Quinn saw her and smiled shyly and Rachel stood up on her tiptoes to tap the tall boy's shoulder. When Finn turned around to glance at her, he already knew what she was going to ask and he sighed.

"Knock yourself out, Rachel." He muttered and released the blonde. He stared at them for a second before turning and walking through the dancing couples.

"What's cooking good looking?" Rachel wondered where the sudden burst of confidence came from, but she didn't mind it as she stepped into the blonde's personal space and pushed the girls pale arms around her shoulders and wrapped her own arms around the girls waist.

She heard Quinn's breath catch in her throat and normally she'd be blushing like a maniac but for some odd reason she felt peaceful and invincible.

_"Slow down, we've got time left to be lazy, all the kids have bloomed from babies into flowers in our eyes." _Rachel sang out into Quinn's ear, and she heard the blonde giggle and she couldn't help but digging her fingernails into Quinn's hips even more.

"You really do look..." She pondered for the correct word, "exquisite tonight, Quinn."

"Thank you." Quinn's voice was husky and low.

_"We've got fifty good years left to spend out in the garden, I don't care to beg your pardon, we should live, until we die..." _Her breath was hushed and she dropped her head to rest against Quinn's shoulder, just breathing in the girl and listening to the keyboard melody of the song play around her.

_"We were barely eighteen, when we crossed collective hearts, it was cold but it got warmer when you barely crossed my eye. And then you turned, put out your hand," _She grinned and swung the girl out sharply, causing the blonde to nearly fall but she kept a tight grip on the blonde's hand and spun the girl back into her. "_And you asked me to dance, I knew nothing of romance, but it was love at second sight." _

The blonde was just catching her breath when Rachel took the opportunity to dip the girl and sing directly to her, her eyes showing so much more meaning than she could ever actually say out loud, "_I swear when I grow up, I won't just buy you a rose, I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely." _

She twirled the girl back up into her arms and she sang the next verse of the song with a warm smile on her face, all the while watching as Quinn's eyes flickered down to her lips and back up to her eyes and she had a passionate expression on her face.

_"Even if the sun stops waking up over the fields, I will not leave, I will not leave 'till it's our time, so just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side." _

At that point during the song, Rachel didn't even know if people were still in the gymnasium, all she could notice was Quinn in her arms.

Her Quinn, wrapped up in her.

Her Quinn, dancing with _her. _

Not Finn.

_"It was the winter of '86, and the fields had frozen over, so we moved to Arizona, to save our only son." _Rachel sang the next part and tightened her grip on the blonde's waist, releasing one hand to come up and stroke Quinn's cheek tenderly.

The action may have seemed to intimate, but Rachel couldn't find it in herself to care.

_"And now he's turning into a man, although he thinks just like his mother," _She tapped Quinn's nose, and giggled when the girl blushed, "_He believes we're all just lovers he sees hope in everyone." _

_"And even though she moved away, we always get calls from out daughter, she has eyes just like her father they are brown when chocolates are..." _Rachel cut herself off, trying to make the song relevant to the two of them, but failing.

Quinn just giggled and dropped her head to rest against Rachel's shoulders.

Rachel felt the blonde's breath tickling her neck and she calmed herself by rubbing soothing circles on the girls lower back.

_"And just like him she never stops, never takes the day for granted, works for everything that's handed to her, never once complains." _Rachel cooed the words of the song into Quinn's hair and breathed in that beautiful scent that was Quinn Fabray.

_"You think that I nearly lost you, when the doctors tried to take you away," _Rachel pulled the girl away and gripped her cheeks tenderly, stroking her thumb over the raised cheekbone and smiling gently, _"but like the night you took my hand beside the fire. Thirty years ago, to this day," _She paused, and licked her lips before singing out the strongest part of the song, _"you swore you'd be here 'till we decide that it's our time, but it's not time, you've never quit in all your life," _Rachel released the girl for a second and the blonde cocked her eyebrows up curiously.

_"So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side, you're the love of my life, you know that I will never leave your side." _Rachel reached for the girls hands and leaned down to kiss it before pulling the girl back into her body and swaying in circles with her.

_You come home from work and you kiss me on the eye, you curse the dog, you say that I should never feed them what is ours, so we move out to the garden and look at everything we've grown, and now the kids are coming home." _Rachel sang out the last part, and pulled away so she could stare at Quinn, their eyes leveled.

_"I'll set the table, you can make the fire..." _She sang out the last verse, feeling so much emotion in the last sentence and when the song ended she was nearly breathless and Quinn looked as if she were panting.

She knew Jesse would be waiting for her.

So she slowly brought Quinn's hand up towards her mouth and kissed the back of her hand intimately.

She didn't care who saw in that moment.

She wanted Quinn to know that she enjoyed that way to much.

More than she should have.

They were just friends.

Right?

"Thank you, love." Rachel husked out, before abruptly turning and leaving a speechless Quinn behind her.

* * *

><p>"I had fun tonight." Jesse said, rubbing his thumb along Rachel's knuckles as they walked up the steps towards Rachel's front door.<p>

"I did too." Rachel said honestly, because, she did.

Jesse had been a perfect gentleman and a really fun date.

But she wasn't sure if she felt anything stronger than friends towards the boy.

But she was to distracted with her thoughts because she wondered if Finn and Quinn were saying goodbye to each other in that moment.

Or worse, if they were kissing goodbye.

She shuddered at the thought and wrapped her cardigan over her shoulders more tightly, giving Jesse a polite smile.

"I better get inside." Rachel muttered, stepping forward and hugging the boy.

Jesse was a good guy. He really was.

When the boy released her, she turned preparing to end her night with just that but she was stopped by the boy's hand on her wrist.

"May I give you a goodnight kiss, Rachel?" Jesse whispered, and the statement hung in the air.

She owed him that.

Didn't she?

So she turned and nodded, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss the boy.

He had smooth lips, and it wasn't like it was awful kissing him.

But it wasn't the most enjoyable thing either.

In fact, she shut her eyes just to imagine she was kissing Quinn.

When the boy pulled away a few seconds later, he had a dopey grin on his face and he silently wished her a goodnight before stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaving the porch and making his way to the car.

And all Rachel could think was how much she wished that would have been Quinn.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Sorry everyone for the lack of updates recently. I'm not going for the full details, but it's just been a little rough recently, and I've been unable to get online. Hopefully by the end of this week I'll be back to my regular updates. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

- _**These texts are Kurt. **These texts are Rachel. _**These texts are Quinn. **

**Chapter Ten: **

_Kurty! _

_**Rachel you are completely aware I am not fond of that nickname. What do you want? **_

_What are you doing this Saturday? I'm in desperate need for some girl time and I have a tap dancing competition that I'd love for you to attend and afterwards we can come back to my house and have a night in or something like that? _

_**What time does the competition start? **_

_It starts at three and it probably won't get over until around five._

_**Damn! If only it were a few hours earlier. My dad is forcing me to have a brother bonding day with Finn and we are supposed to be hanging out at four and we have to get in a maximum of three hours together otherwise we are both grounded. It's super gay and that is me talking.  
><strong>_

_Ouch, that sucks. I'm sorry. _

_**Exactly! How am I supposed to entertain myself with Finn of all people, for three goddamn hours? My father is going insane! INSANE!  
><strong>_

_Calm down Kurt. _

_**I am calm! But all the same, I'm sorry I can't join you at your competition. Good luck and break a leg. Well not literally because, you will be dancing and if you break a leg, that will really suck.**_

_Well thank you Kurt, I'll attempt not to break a leg. But no promises. ;) _

_**Good. Why don't you ask a certain blonde that you are swooning over to join you? **_

_Quinn? _

_**No, Brittany.  
><strong>_

_I was just clarifying! You don't have to be so harsh! And dancing isn't really Quinn's thing. She wouldn't be interested._

_**You never know until you ask her. **_

_I'll think about it.  
><em>

_**No! You can't think about it because you'll start second guessing yourself and you'll end up not asking her, so text her right now missy and ask her if she wants to go. Then you have to text me back with the details.**_

_I don't know._

_**Do it! Otherwise I'll march over to your house and take that phone you have and do it myself.**_

_Fine, fine._

_**Tell me what she says! **_

_I will!_

_Hi Quinn! I've got a life or death question for you!_

**Dramatic as always, huh Rach? And what is it? :) **

_What are you doing this Saturday? _

**Hmmm, I believe my schedule is pretty free. Why do you ask? **

_Well... I know it's not really your type of thing but I have a tap dancing competition and I was wondering if you'd like to come and cheer me on. In order to be the best I can be, I need to have some moral support there, and Kurt usually is my go to person for this type of thing but he is unavailable, and we haven't hung out since the dance so I was thinking you should come along! And afterwards my dads were thinking of ordering some pizza and playing board games. Y'know, typical Berry family stuff._

**That sounds like a lot of fun! I'd love to go Rachel!  
><strong>

_Really? _

**Yes, really, silly duck. What time? **

_It starts at three, but the competition probably won't get over until five and then you could stay at my house as long as you'd like afterwards._

**Sounds great, I can't wait. :)**

_Me either Quinn. :) _

**Well I'll see you then, bye! **

_Bye!_

_**What did blondie say? **_

_She said yes._

_**Your love is meant to be.**_

_Oh please. _

_**You have to tell me how your date goes.**_

_Kurt, it's not a date. It's merely a get together between two friends._

_**Rachel. **_

_Yes?_

_**Quit being blind.**_

_I am not! Quinn is as straight as a line and I'm as straight as a circle for her, it's never going to work!_

_**She looks at you like you are a piece of meat! **_

_You are obviously the blind one!_

_**I'm sorry that I ship Faberry okay! I want you two to be together.**_

_Faberry? Really? _

_**I was thinking about it the other day. Catchy huh? **_

_You are insane. It's never going to happen. Quinn is going to grow up someday, marry some hunky guy and have beautiful blonde babies. One of her babies will grow up to be totally athletic, the other one will be a big giant nerd in school, and the third one will be a mommy's girl. They'll run around the house with mud on their bodies and their blonde hair will be sticking up in every direction just like hers when she wakes up. And I will be living in New York somewhere, with Quinn occasionally crossing my mind, but other than that, I will be happy! We are __just__ friends._

_**When are you going to stop lying to yourself? **_

_I never will stop lying to myself. Because, it's true Kurt. At least the first half. She'll marry somebody and have beautiful babies, but I'll always be hung up over her in New York somewhere. And when I get married all I will think about when I'm kissing my husband or wife is that I wish it was Quinn. But that's never going to happen. Even if Quinn was gay, you and I both know she'd never admit it to herself. She cares to much about what everyone thinks and what her parents would do to her. So therefore, I'm always going to be hung up over her, while she moves on. So just let me live in my little lie, okay? _

_**Okay, Rachel. Okay. But just one more thing.**_

_What Kurt?_

_**I'm always going to ship Faberry.**_

* * *

><p>"<em>Baby you're a fireeeeeee-worrrrrrk! Come on let's you colooooooors burst!<em>"

Rachel was convinced Quinn was on some sort of new medication because she could not stop singing at the top of her lungs. They had been in the car for literally five minutes and the blonde had started wailing the soon as her butt hit the cushion of the backseat.

Rachel glanced at her fathers in the front seat who had a hint of amusement laced in their eyes.

"Quinn," Rachel interrupted over the horrendous vocals that were coming from the blonde sitting next to her.

The blonde wasn't even attempting to sing well.

The girl sounded like she had stepped on cat's tail, except she was the cat.

Quinn paused her loud singing for a second to glance at Rachel skeptically, one trademark eyebrow raising.

"How did you make it in glee club?" The brunette teased, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh shut up!" Quinn retorted back, punching Rachel lightly in the arm and letting her hand drop to graze against Rachel's hand, which stopped the brunette's laughter for a fraction of a second.

Leroy glanced in the rear view mirror and glared at Rachel sternly, "Rachel Berry! Don't be rude to our guest!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "It's just Quinn."

The two men glanced at each other then back at the blonde to see the girl wasn't affected before they started laughing and while they were in joyous laughter together, Rachel felt a cool hand slide and down and poke hers.

Rachel licked her lips and felt her heart accelerate and she glanced at the blonde who was smiling at her before nodding south towards their hands that were sitting next to each other.

She cocked her eyebrow up, curious as to what Quinn was trying to say without really saying anything.

And then the blonde made her heart melt and slid her own hand into Rachel's clenching the tiny fingers in her hand lightly and grazing one smooth thumb over her knuckles.

Rachel stared at their joint hands for a second, her thoughts racing of one mere sentence, and that was _'Holy shitballs, Quinn Fabray is holding my hand.' _

Holding her hand for no reason other than she wanted to hold her hand.

And while she was melting in a warm puddle of passion, she didn't even notice her dads gazing at her through the rear view mirror with knowing looks on their faces.

* * *

><p>She had changed into her recital leotard and her tap shoes were laced onto her feet and she could see the other dancers in her peripheral vision, but she ignored them and focused on her traditional motivation speech she did in her head before any big performance.<p>

Normally, she wasn't as nervous to just preform a small dance number in a group of people.

But she was because, this wasn't just any normal audience.

This audience held one person that could affect the way Rachel preformed.

Quinn.

Rachel didn't find it odd that no one else seemed to be talking to themselves beside her.

Every good performer had a motivational speech ready.

And Rachel Berry did.

She was to busy talking to herself to notice Quinn walking up beside her until the blonde tapped her shoulder and was leaning close to her behind the dark curtain that shielded them from the audience.

The announcer was just beginning to say the name of the next act and Rachel jumped into the air at the sight of the blonde.

"Quinn!" Rachel hissed, clutching her leotard, "You're not supposed to be here."

"I know." Quinn grinned mischievously, "I just wanted to wish you good luck. Kill it superstar."

And before the brunette could reply the blonde was leaning forward and kissing her cheek before taking off in a dead sprint back towards the backstage door.

Rachel was awestruck and she barely noticed her group's name being called until the girl behind her was shoving her angrily towards the curtains.

As she walked out onto the stage, her hand was clutching her cheek and she could still feel Quinn's lips on it.

She wasn't even aware of what she was doing as she moved onto her choreographed spot, the bright lights nearly blinding her.

She blindly searched the seats that had been laid out and noticed her fathers and Quinn silently slipping into one of the seats, a wide gleaming smile on her face as she gave Rachel a quick thumbs up before smoothing down her jeans and sitting further back in the seat to watch.

When the soft melody of the instruments began playing, Rachel swallowed loudly and shut her eyes for a brief second before opening them and finding those hazel eyes in the crowded room.

Her feet moved without her even making them, she was solely focused on Quinn.

She wasn't aware of her actions.

It wasn't that much of a shock because, Rachel should have known by then she was never aware of what she was doing when Quinn was watching her.

She went up onto the tiptoes of her feet and did a quad pirouette, and landed firmly at the flat surface of her feet before she felt a masculine figure come up behind her and brace her up onto his right shoulder.

She lifted her arms up and pointed them inwards towards each other and lifted up just gently as to put off her weight on the boy who was holding her up.

When the man placed her back in her spot, she extended her legs to perform the next move the battement tendu.

But she wasn't aware she was doing any of this.

All she was aware of was Quinn's hazel, unblinking eyes, that were piercing into her own from the seats.

And then with a final triple pirouette they were done and floating off the stage.

Rachel was rushed back to the back room and her dance instructor came in the back room where most of the girls were and announced how the next half hour would go. They would wait until all the other acts performed, numerous amounts of them from different counties in the area. And then they would come out for the judging, and when they announced who won, if they won they'd collect their trophies and medals and then perform another act right then and there.

They had ten minutes to relax before they went out for the judges announcements.

Rachel made her way to one of the many dressing rooms and plopped herself down into one of the couches, reaching for her phone in her purse and ignoring the sounds of the girls chattering around her.

**Rachel Berry, you did great. ;)**

She grinned at the text, and she bit her lip just imagining Quinn sitting less than hundred feet away from where she was, expectantly waiting for her reply.

_Thank you my lady. I tried my hardest for you. _

She nibbled on her nail beds waiting anxiously for a reply.

**You blew me away. I'm speechless Rachel. You are one of the most flawless people I've ever had the pleasure meeting. **

_Thanks Quinn. Love ya!_

She had to say it.

Even if it was in a friendly way.

It meant more than what she typed out but she figured Quinn didn't need to know all the gruesome details of her undying love.

**I love you more, Rachel Berry. Knock my socks off once again in a few minutes when your academy wins. I'll be the loudest one out there. :) **

And Rachel vowed to knock her socks off.

* * *

><p>"You are literally the most talented person I've ever met in my whole entire life, Rachel Berry." Quinn sighed loudly as she sank back into Rachel's bed with a loud audible plop.<p>

Rachel grinned sheepishly and dug her top set of teeth into her lower lip as she stood next to the bed, staring down at the blonde whose hair was splayed out across her pillow.

Her group had ended up placing first in the competition and they came up with a quick tap dancing number for the audience, which most definitely pleased the crowd, and they got a standing ovation. But overall Quinn's loud shouts and claps over rang everybody else in the entire building.

Rachel had smiled proudly and held up her flowers high as Quinn stared at her, pride flooding her hazel orbs.

And then they were home with her fathers fixing dinner beneath them, and Quinn sprawled out on her bed, a relaxed smile on her face as she stared up at Rachel, her arms behind her head.

"C'mere." The blonde breathed while Rachel fiddled with her fingernails.

The simple word struck Rachel's heart as it was the word Quinn had used to beckon Rachel the night they shared one of the most intimate kisses of her life.

She hesitatingly made her way over towards the edge of the bed and crouched down a little towards the bed but not sinking onto it.

Quinn chuckled, rolling her eyes and reached out her arms to practically yank Rachel onto the bed next to her.

She giggled nervously as the blonde's arms settled around her.

She could feel the girl's breath tickling the top of her head. She felt the girls sock-clad feet rubbing against her legs as her own legs intertwined with Quinn's. She felt the blonde's forearms flex as she gripped the brunette tighter towards her and after a split second of hesitation Rachel relaxed and slowly moved one arm around Quinn's waist and gripped the blonde's shirt up in a fist.

She snuggled in further and her nose touched the blonde's shoulder and she breathed in the delicious scent that was Quinn Fabray.

One of the blonde's arms was settled behind her neck and holding her in a comfortable position and Rachel felt special to know that she was, in basic terms, cuddling with Quinn Fabray.

And it only got better as the blonde raised her free hand and brought it up to push Rachel's bangs back behind her ears, all the while with a soft smile on her face.

"You're so bea-" Quinn started but was cut off by Rachel groaning.

"Don't-" Rachel muttered, ducking her head further into the crook of Quinn's neck and shoulder so the blonde couldn't see her expression, "don't say I'm beautiful."

"And why not?" Quinn growled, ducking her head to try and get a glimpse of Rachel's blushing face.

"Just don't." Rachel's reply was muffled by Quinn's shirt.

Part of her would have loved to hear Quinn say it. Her heart would have skipped a beat, she would have felt like she was on cloud nine.

But the other part of her couldn't deal with it. Because, after Quinn would say it all she would want to do is lean in and kiss the living daylights out of the blonde.

"Hey-" Quinn's voice was soothing and she felt a rough hand grip her chin and force her face north until she was staring into sympathetic but honest hazel orbs, "hey, Rach, look at me."

Oh she was definitely looking.

"You are beautiful-" Quinn's voice rang with sincerity, "you are one of the most beautiful things I've ever laid eyes on."

Oh god, her heart was thumping loudly.

Her senses escalated by the thousands.

The tiny hint of moisture on the edge of Quinn's lower lip.

The red tint to Quinn's cheeks.

The little freckles she had across the bridge of her nose.

The tiniest dimple she had on only one of her cheeks.

The way her bottom lip was a fraction of a centimeter plumper than her upper lip.

The way her eyebrows had a perfect arc to them.

The flakes of green hidden in her eyes.

The tiniest hint of a scar on the bridge of her nose.

The way her cheeks had some childish rounds to them.

She could see Quinn's eyes flickering down to her lips before back towards her eyes.

And then the blonde was shifting closer.

Holy fuck.

Holy fuck.

Holy fuck.

Sober Quinn was about to kiss Rachel.

Sober.

Sober.

Sober.

Her thoughts were racing as the blonde seemed to be having a mental war behind her eyes but she still got closer and she felt a thumb swipe across her cheek. She felt the blonde's breath wash across her face. She felt the bridge of Quinn's nose touch hers, they were millimeters aw-

"Dinner is ready!"

Quinn leaped away from Rachel and nearly toppled off the bed.

Rachel would have laughed under any other situation, but she was so damn close and she was frustrated, horny, and sad. And all she could do was look at Quinn dumbfounded.

"Uhh-" Quinn stuttered, "I'll see you downstairs."

And faster than the wind the blonde was gone down the stairs.

* * *

><p>"What letters are not included in ?" Hiram piped up, tucking the card into his sleeve before glancing at Leroy and mouthing, <em>'we are so gonna win this.'<em>

Rachel glanced at Quinn a smile on her face and nodded as if to say they had this game in the bag.

After they had eaten a healthy vegan dinner, they had sat down in the living room and started playing some family board games. They were currently on their third board game and they were in a dead tie.

Rachel assumed the men had cheated, but Hiram and Leroy won the first game and Quinn and Rachel had won the second.

With this final game they were on the second to last question to see if they would win, and seeing as Quinn and Rachel were both very competitive teenage girls, they needed to win.

Quinn grinned and shook her head to allow the brunette to go first.

"B." Rachel muttered, giving Quinn an encouraging nod as she flicked her tongue out at her fathers.

Quinn bit on her bottom lip and glanced at the men skeptically, "H?" She muttered, more as a question rather than a statement.

The men nodded, their eyebrows narrowing together in unison.

"Gili-jili-gili," Rachel muttered under hear breath, cocking her eyebrows up at Quinn, "J?"

Once again the men frowned and nodded solemnly.

"M." Quinn breathed quickly, seeing it was one of the easier letters.

"N!" Rachel said, touching her fist to Quinn's.

They _so_ had this.

"Q!" Quinn shot back.

"V." Rachel said, slamming her fists down on the table and gloating her obvious win in her fathers faces.

"W." Quinn said, slamming her own fists on the table tauntingly.

"Y. We won, we won!" Rachel chanted.

"Z." Quinn said simply and then the two girls turned to each other and high-fived.

The men let them cheer loudly for a second before grinning at each other and crossing their arms over their chest.

Seeing there amused grins, Rachel stopped her teasing for a split second before frowning, "What?"

"You've got one letter left." The men glowered, and Rachel groaned glancing at Quinn who gave her a confused look.

"Do you have any idea what it is?" Rachel asked.

"No clue." The blonde replied sadly.

"Supercal-kal-cal-kal-" She cut herself off, "Quinn it's either a K or a C!"

Quinn mouthed the word silently and then her eyes opened, "It's K."

Shit.

That wasn't what Rachel thought it was.

"I thought it was C."

Quinn tilted her head sideways and shook her head no.

Rachel felt the need to be stubborn, "I don't want to lose this game just because you think it's K when it probably is C."

"Oh please-" Quinn snorted, "I don't want to lose because of you."

"You won't! I know what I'm doing." Rachel retorted.

"Rachel-" Quinn grunted, "It's K, just trust me, please. Say K."

They argued for a second longer and ignored the looks the men were giving them from across the floor. They were completely amused by the girls arguing, almost as if they were like an old elderly couple fighting over what sitcom they wanted to watch in the nursing home.

"Trust me, Rach." Quinn pleaded, widening those dazzling hazel orbs and Rachel felt her argument weakening.

She could trust Quinn.

God, if she was going to lose this game it was almost worth it with the pleading look the blonde was giving her. She looked so innocent and puppy-like.

What she did for love was way over her head.

"K." Rachel muttered, glancing at the men.

"Dammit!" They both hollered slamming their hands down on the table and yelling.

"This is rigged!"

"This is cheap!"

"You guys should have lost that!"

And all while they were screaming in defeat, Quinn was leaping over the board and hugging Rachel.

They didn't even care they had another question to answer. They were just happy that they had won that round, purely by teamwork.

"You're welcome." Quinn muttered dryly in Rachel's ear before pulling away while Rachel rolled her eyes and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Last question-" Leroy grunted and he scanned over the card in his hand, "oh this is bullshit."

Easy question!

They had won.

It was done for.

"Read it ole' man!" Quinn yelped, grinning mischievously.

"What are the eight major scales called?" Leroy hissed angrily.

Rachel grinned, even if Quinn didn't know she sure as hell did.

"Do!"

"Re!"

"Mi!"

"Fa!"

"So!"

"La!"

"Ti!"

"Do!"

They finished in unison before Quinn slapped her hand down on the board and stood up screaming at the top of her lungs that the youngsters had beaten the old men.

"That's what you get!" Quinn shouted, pointing her finger at Leroy and Hiram before leaping over the board and tackling Rachel into the ground.

They were to busy in their fits and giggles to notice the men groaning.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for coming again." Rachel murmured shyly as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and slowly made her way up towards Quinn's front door.<p>

It was nearing midnight, an hour past Quinn's curfew, but the blonde didn't seem to care as she turned and faced Rachel a close-lipped smile on her face.

"Thanks for inviting me-" Quinn breathed, taking a step forward into Rachel's personal space, "trust me, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you today."

The simple conviction held so much meaning that the brunette ducked her head shyly and felt heat invade her cheeks.

The blonde took another step forward and without warning stuck her own hands in Rachel's jacket pockets and reached for the hands stuffed snugly inside them.

They stood there for a second longer just enjoying each others heat and shy glances.

Rachel was focused on keeping her heartbeat at a normal level due to the fact that she could feel Quinn ever so slightly running her fingers along Rachel's own.

"I better get inside." Quinn said after a beat longer.

"Yeah." Rachel muttered, feeling sad at the thought.

Quinn nodded and squeezed Rachel's hand once before taking her hands out of the pocket and bringing her arms up and around Rachel's shoulders and hugging her tightly.

It took Rachel a moment to respond but when she did, she wrapped her arms around the blonde's tiny waist equally as tight and lifted the blonde up off the ground ever so slightly as the girl giggled in her ear.

She set her back down and reluctantly pulled away to the blonde staring at her, her face holding a red tint to it.

"Bye." Quinn murmured.

"Bye." Rachel said, as the blonde turned, hesitated for a second before turning back around and placing a quick kiss to the brunette's cheek before quickly hurrying and opening the front door, giving the brunette a tentative wave and slamming the door shut.

The brunette smiled smugly as she had noticed the blonde's blush darkening right before she shut the door.

She could still feel Quinn's lips on her cheek and she sighed, bringing her hand up to the spot and groaning.

God, she loved that girl.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! This chapter contains a small amount of M in it. So I just thought I'd warn everyone. And another note - if this story seems to be repetitive, there is a point to it! It's all based off a very true story, and it will get interesting in the next few chapters. As always, thanks for reading!

**Chapter Eleven: **

_**So you guys had fun? **_

_Fun is an understatement. It was one of the best days of my life Kurt. She is literally one of the sweetest people I've ever met in my life and she doesn't even have to try. She always has a rough exterior but I think it's because, she doesn't want to get attached to someone just for them to let her down. And she let me get through that wall. Kurt, she let me get through her wall! She let me see the real her. And I am in love with that side I've seen. There is not a bad cell in her whole body.  
><em>

_**Young love is so beautiful. **_

_If only she loved me back, you know? Then it'd be like a dream come true. But if she continues giving me little pecks on the cheek I don't mind staying in the friend-zone for the rest of my life.  
><em>

_**You might not mind it right now, but how long will that phase last? You can't stay in the friend-zone forever Rach and not expect to want something more in the future.**_

_Kurt, I love her. Not some fake love that kids in high school come up with in their mind. I truly love her. I love her so much that since she doesn't want me, I don't mind never having her. I want whats best for her, what makes her happy. And I am not the best for her. I could be, but I'm not. I'm probably one of the worst things that could happen to her, to be quite honest. Her parents would hate her if they ever found out the Berry girl, who is the daughter of two gay dads, had a crush on their perfect little Christian daughter. To them it's like gay people are some disease. I also want her to be happy. And I do truly believe I could make her the happiest girl in the world. But I don't think she will ever give me that chance. _

_**You are such a romantic. I think you should seriously consider sweeping her off her feet.**_

_That would never work without me being completely creepy.  
><em>

_**Well isn't like one of your dads friends kids having that big birthday party this weekend at the roller rink outside of town? Invite her to that! And when you guys are roller skating come up behind her and make a move. Oh lord, I can see it now. Put this plan into action, Rachel!**_

_But we hung out this past weekend. I don't want to seem to desperate to invite her to everything. I don't want her to think she's my only friend._

_**Who cares? Just do it.**_

_I don't know._

_**Rachel Berry!**_

_I can't be the desperate loser friend._

_**You're not! You're the friend that's secretly in love with her. Totally different concepts there.**_

_Kurt, I will hit you._

_**You can, after you text her.**_

_Fine..._

_**Tell me what she says! **_

_Hi Quinn! _

**Hello my lady! **

_So I have a question for you?_

**Shoot!**

_What are you doing Friday night? _

**I'm supposed to be hanging out with Santana and Brittany, but I'm all to willing to cancel since something happened the other day, that I need to tell you about! But anyway, why? **

_Well my dad's friend from work, his kid is having a birthday party at the roller rink outside of town and I was wondering if you'd want to tag along with me? _

**Of course I would. I feel honored that I'm being able to hang out with Rachel Berry twice in one week. :) **

_Ha ha. Your sarcasm is not appreciated Quinn._

**I'm not being sarcastic! I literally cannot wait to hang out with you. Little do you know, you've become a big part of my life Rachel!**

_That's ironic. _

**How?**

_Well, you've also become a __big__ part of my life as well. And it's just-let's just say it's ironic. xD_

**Haha, okay. Well I'm excited for Friday! What time do you want me to be ready?**

_It's going to be a long party because the kid is turning twelve, and his parents are finally letting him have some fun. So they rented out the whole roller rink until midnight. And it starts at seven, so is that okay? _

**It's fine. I probably won't be skating though!**

_What why? It is a roller skating rink!_

**I'm not a good skater. I fall a lot.**

_Well lucky for you I'm a great skater and you can skate with me!_

**I don't know.. I don't want to fall flat on my butt.**

_Well I'd catch you before you fall! I promise. :)_

**You are to sweet. I'll think about it, okay? I can't make any promises that I will actually attempt skating.**

_Ahhh, alright. I'll pick you up at six thirty on Friday? _

**Sounds good to me. See you then Rach!**

_Bye Quinn. :)_

_**What'd the bitch say? **_

_Hey, she is in no way, shape, or form a bitch!_

_**Oh whatever, you get my point. What'd she say? **_

_We indeed will be hanging out this Friday. :)_

_**I told you! All you had to do was ask. You've got her wrapped around your finger.**_

_I think you mean she has got me wrapped around her finger._

_**God, I ship Faberry!**_

* * *

><p>When the door opened to the Fabray household, Rachel expected one of the older Fabray's to welcome her, but instead it was just Quinn looking as dazzling as ever.<p>

Rachel paused, her jaw dropping and vocabulary fleeing her mind.

Her eyes widened and she was shoved into a trance.

The blonde was wearing tight black jeans that were hung low on her hips and Rachel could see the firm backside shaped in the jeans by the way Quinn was standing. Her muscles in her legs were accentuated nicely in the jeans. Her calves looked muscular and her thighs looked delicious. She felt her mouth watering, and she traveled her eyes further down to the girls black heels, that made her legs look ten miles long. Her short hair was in it's natural wave that she usually wore.. And to top off the outfit she had on a long sleeve v-neck shirt, and the plunge of the neck was just deep enough for the perfect amount of cleavage to be showing.

Rachel licked her lips when she finally met Quinn's hazel eyes.

The blonde had her signature sultry smirk placed on her face, with one eyebrow raised up highly.

Rachel grinned and bit her bottom lip, "He-hey Quinn." She stammered, mentally smacking herself for the idiotic response.

"Hey Rachel!" The blonde replied cheerily taking a step out into the air and shutting the door behind her.

"Am I overdressed?" Quinn asked shyly, as she watched Rachel's eyes drop to her legs again.

Rachel coughed loudly, shooting her eyes back up towards Quinn's, "No-no-no, not at all. You look ugh-kinda perfect actually."

She shut her eyes trying to pretend she hadn't sounded so stupid and she brought one hand up to rub the back of her neck awkwardly.

It was almost as if they were on a first date and Rachel was the nervous, sweating teenage boy having no clue what he was doing but hoping whatever he was doing was right.

"Okay?" Quinn said, giggling nervously as she locked the door.

Rachel took the opportunity of the girl turned around, to blatantly stare at the blonde's ass, and she let out a shaky breath, trying to calm down the way the spot between her legs began to ache. She brought her eyes up just in time for the blonde to turn around. Quinn smiled wide, walking by the brunette and making the way over to the brunette's car on instinct.

Kurt's motto was ringing in her head as she quickened her pace to catch up with the blonde.

_"Sweep her off her feet." _

As the blonde reached out for the passenger door, Rachel intervened and smiled up at the taller girl, "Here, I'll get that for you."

She grabbed the door handle and swiftly pulled it open, nodding for the girl to get in.

Quinn hesitated, a strawberry tint appearing on her cheeks, as she mumbled a thank you and slowly descended into the car.

Once the blonde was settled Rachel shut the door and gave herself a quick pep talk as she made her way over to her own side of the car.

"She's just a girl," The brunette muttered to herself as she glanced through the car window at the blonde who was leaned forward, searching for something in Rachel's glove bo

She got in after that and noticed the blonde was already plugging in Rachel's iPod and searching for a song they could listen to.

Rachel watched girl's movements for a second before she started the car. She pulled out of the driveway and made her way towards the outskirts of town.

Her dads were already at the party and they had informed her not to stop anywhere on the way there. They still treated her as if she were a freshman.

When The Black Keys started playing through the speakers Rachel turned to glance at Quinn, her eyebrows high.

"I'm impressed!" She complimented, noticing the way the blonde giggled and shyly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

Her head began screaming.

_'Don't touch that hair! Don't tuck that hair behind your ear. That's my piece of hair to tuck!' _

"Thanks." The blonde mumbled and bit her lip.

Rachel followed the little movement and saw the tiny white teeth biting into that juicy lip.

God, she had no filter today.

She needed to stay calm.

She faced forward in the seat and watched the road as they drove down a back pathway to get outside of town.

It was quiet in the car. Neither girl felt the need to discuss something because, they knew there would be plenty of talking that night.

Quinn had her head placed in one palm and was staring at the window while her other hand was placed right beside her thigh, her palm facing upwards.

Palm facing upwards.

Quinn's palm was facing upwards.

Rachel's palm was facing downwards.

God, she wanted to hold the blonde's hand.

Should she?

The brunette very stealthily brought her hand closer toward's the blondes and brushed her fingers against Quinn's hand before yanking her hand back up to the steering wheel.

She watched the blonde out of her peripheral vision.

Quinn turned towards her and stayed in a frozen position for a second before her angelic voice filled the car.

"Rachel," Quinn murmured, her voice oddly low, "do you have any gloves, my hands are freezing."

Rachel smirked and tried to contain the laughter from exploding through her chest.

"I don't but-" She paused, licking her lips and glancing at the blonde, "my hands are pretty warm. Th-uhm-the body heat might help out your cold hands."

Quinn held a knowing look before she reached over and grabbed Rachel's hand in her own two and giggled.

Rachel couldn't help joining into the laughter at the obvious flirting.

They were so dumb.

* * *

><p>"I don't want to do this."<p>

"I'll catch you!"

"I don't know."

"Quinn, come on! It's just roller-skating."

"Exactly, it's _just_ roller-skating!"

They had been standing on the sides of the roller rink for the past five minutes, while Rachel urged Quinn to just give it a try.

Even though the blonde had refused every single time.

She had to admit the blonde did look somewhat awkward standing in skates. Her ankles were twisted towards each other and she looked like this was her first time walking, while Rachel on the other hand had a pair of inline roller skates on and was skating circles around the blonde.

"I'm a terrible skater." Quinn admitted, dropping her head. "And I'm scared."

Rachel sighed, knowing they were going to get nowhere.

Her fathers sped by them and gave Quinn an amused look before skating ahead trying to show off just a tad bit, by spinning backwards holding each others hands.

"Here-" Rachel muttered, reaching for Quinn's hands and stepping onto the hardwood floor once again.

Rachel turned so she was facing backwards and she cocked her eyebrows up at Quinn giving her a hopeful, but pleading look.

"Just trust me."

She rubbed her thumb over Quinn's knuckles comfortingly before she slowly started skating backwards, using just enough strength to pull Quinn along with her while the girl concentrated on staying balanced, her tongue sticking out sideways as she looked down at her feet, very slowly picking one foot up in front of the other.

She truly did look like a toddler taking her first steps.

"I'm going to fall!" Quinn hissed.

Rachel giggled as she picked up speed as they rounded one of the corners of the rink.

She casually glanced over her shoulder to make sure they weren't around a big group of people before she abruptly let go of Quinn's hands, which caused the girl to scream and she swiveled so she was behind the blonde and grabbing her hips.

She didn't know if this was what Kurt meant by sweeping her off her feet but she figured it was worth a shot.

"What are you doing?" Quinn said, her voice a octave higher.

Once again her fathers sped by them, laughing their asses off at the failed attempt the blonde was making at skating.

"Just skate forward." Rachel breathed into the blonde's ear, probably to close for comfort but she couldn't bring it in herself to care because, the blonde shivered and moved one leg in front of the other and glided along with the brunette.

As they made rounds around the rink, Rachel squeezed the blonde's hips and dropped her chin to Quinn's shoulder, smiling as the blonde giggled.

Rachel shut her eyes and just moved along with Quinn in front of her.

When the blonde dropped her hands to Rachel's on her hips and toyed with her fingers, Rachel let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes to make sure the blonde was still balanced enough to skate like this.

Only one of her fathers passed by her this time, and Leroy grinned at Rachel and the brunette gave him a smirk back as she dug her chin further into the little area where Quinn's neck and shoulder met.

"Rachel," Quinn began to mutter, slowly turning her head to glance at the brunette.

"Quinn, don-" Rachel yelped, but it was to late.

They were falling.

Quinn's skate kicked the back of Rachel's, and she was tumbling. She felt her right knee slam into the hardwood floor of the rink, and she managed to twist her body so she'd land on the floor beneath Quinn, instead of on top of her. The back of her head smacked against the floor and she felt deadweight land on top of her and a skate hit her left shin.

They slid along the floor for a good five feet and when they finally stopped Rachel had the wind knocked out of her, and Quinn was panting for air on top of her.

Her body was aching.

Literally aching.

Her knee and shin were throbbing.

"Are you okay?" Quinn's voice was tiny and husked from on top of her.

Rachel blinked open her eyes and the blonde was on her forearms above her, literally inches away from her face. Her face was scrunched up in a concerned expression.

"Just give me a second." Rachel whispered.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know how it happene-"

At that point Rachel stopped listening because, Quinn was moving erratically on top of her and her knee slipped in between Rachel's thighs. As Quinn moved up further on her arms, her knee connected with Rachel's core, and the brunette contained her moan but her face scrunched up in pain.

Quinn obviously thought it was physical pain and not sexual pain.

"Oh my god, am I hurting you?" The blonde proceeded to lift up onto her knees which connected once again with Rachel.

Quinn was sitting on one of her thighs and she brought her hands up to her hair and ran her fingers through the blonde locks. Her knee connected one last time with Rachel's core roughly and Rachel couldn't help it. She really couldn't contain it, whatsoever.

She let out an audible moan, definitely loud enough for the blonde to hear.

She pinched her eyes shut together, and brought her hand up to cover her eyes.

She tried to ignore the fact that moisture was pooling between her legs, and more on the fact that Quinn was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Oh-_oh_!" Quinn suddenly realized what she was doing as she glanced down in between Rachel's legs, and that just caused Rachel to blush further, and the blonde quickly got up to her feet and ducked her head shyly.

Rachel was so embarrassed.

"Uhm-" Quinn muttered, rubbing the back of her neck and staring down at Rachel.

"Just help me up," Rachel groaned, "and let's get some food."

* * *

><p>"These pretzels are actually really-" Quinn cut herself off by groaning at the taste of the cheese dipped pretzel, "awesome. They're just awesome."<p>

Rachel giggled glancing down at the food she had bought Quinn, then down at her own nachos she had bought for herself, "I can tell-" Rachel muttered, nibbling thoughtfully on one of the chips, "because, you are basically molesting it."

"Oh shut up!" Quinn giggled, kicking Rachel's shin beneath the table.

The brunette giggled and chewed on her piece of nacho, just staring at the girl who sat across from her.

They had given up skating a half an hour before and they spent fifteen minutes casually talking to everyone.

Rachel was pleased to see how Quinn went off on her own and made small talk with the people at the party. The blonde even went so far as to greet the birthday boy and give him a high-five, and when Rachel had glanced over and saw the little exchange between the two, her heart melted and she felt like she couldn't have been more in love with the girl.

Her brain had raced with thoughts of beautiful blonde babies, running around the house with soap in their hair, and a golden retriever and two moms following them. They were getting soap all over the house and Rachel was the happiest she had ever been.

And then she came back to reality.

After that they had went to the snack bar and argued for five minutes over who was paying.

Rachel ended up winning that battle.

She was to stubborn for Quinn to handle.

And Rachel thought it was a chivalrous move.

And thus left them where they were, stealing shy glances at each other, then blushing and looking back down at the food in front of them.

"So, I was hanging out with Santana and Brittany the other day-" Quinn said, the tone of the atmosphere suddenly shifting to serious.

"Yeah?" Rachel mused, "How'd that go?"

Quinn bit on her bottom lip and glanced up, "It was good, we were having a blast, and I went down to get some popcorn from downstairs and I-ugh, I came back up stairs-" The blonde ran a hand through her hair and glanced up at Rachel with innocent hazel eyes, "I came back up stairs, and I was about to open the door when-ugh, Brittany was on top of Santana, and they were doing _stuff_-like not wrestling type stuff girls do sometimes, like tongue-in-each-others mouth stuff."

Rachel stared wide-eyed at the blonde.

She wasn't sure how to react.

Because now she knew the blonde at least knew the idea of two girls together. And she actually remembered an idea of two girls together. Although it wasn't her and Rachel together, just Santana and Brittany.

"Uh-huh," Rachel drawled out, taking a sip of her Diet Coke, "and how do you feel about that?"

Quinn seemed surprised by the question.

"I don't know-I mean," Quinn set down her pretzel and sighed, "I want them to be happy, they're my best friends. And if they are happy with each other, than I'm all game for it. It's Santana and Brittany, they are perfect for each other. They always have been. Ever since freshman year, they were constantly hand in hand. I mean-I'm sorta mad they didn't tell me. And I don't know, I don't want them to think I'm that way, you know?"

Rachel's ears rang with that last comment.

_I don't want them to think I'm that way._

"Understandable-" Rachel's voice was cracked, and her heart was beating in her chest, this was her chance, "so you're not like them at all? You're not into girls?"

Quinn's eyes glazed over and she frowned, "I'm not." Her voice rang out with very little clarification, but it was enough to make Rachel ultimately want to go run into a busy street.

"So yeah-" Quinn muttered, clearing her throat loudly, "I just needed to tell someone about it, and I figured you'd be one of the best people with your dads being gay and all-"

"Yeah, I get it." Rachel said dismissively and Quinn glanced down at the table messing with the napkin that was on her plate.

The conversation seemed over.

Rachel wanted the conversation to be over.

But she looked up at Quinn and saw those blonde bangs tucked behind one of her ears, her hazel eyes looking sad and innocent, those cheeks holding a natural glowing tint to them.

And Rachel knew even if she was dying on the inside, she had to be good for Quinn. She _had _to be.

She was to in love with this girl _not _to be.

"Have you thought about college some more?" Rachel piped up, making Quinn meet her gaze, and the brunette gave her a weak, but reassuring smile.

She'd be alright.

Well she could tell herself she'd be alright. When in reality, she knew she would most likely end the night crying in her bed because, her and Quinn wouldn't be together. She was so naive and stupid for believing she had a shot. She was just an experiment to Quinn to test out when she was drunk. She wasn't anything special to Quinn. She was just a friend. That's all she was ever going to be.

She grimaced at the thought of something she heard in a movie once.

_"Once you're in the friend-zone, there is no way of getting out of the friend-zone."_

How suitable that matched her current situation.

"Yes, a little bit," Quinn mused, "remember how I told you about that Yale application?"

Rachel's eyes widened, "You didn't?"

"I did." Quinn giggled, "I got accepted!"

"That's amazing!" Rachel muttered and before she could help herself she got up and gestured for Quinn to follow her movement.

When the blonde stood up they both went to hug each other over the shoulders but Quinn frowned and slapped Rachel's hands away, "No way missy, I hug over the shoulders, you hug around the waist."

With reluctance, Rachel giggled, dropping her arms around Quinn's slim waist and squeezed while Quinn flexed her arms around Rachel's neck. Rachel managed to lift Quinn off the ground for a split second and she grinned, turning towards Quinn's ear and whispering, "I'm so proud of you," before dropping the girl and moving to sit back down.

The blonde had a red tint to her cheeks as she copied Rachel's movements.

"So," Rachel cleared her throat, "you are going to go to Yale obviously, right?"

Quinn hesitated, and it made Rachel worry.

"I might-" Quinn started, and held up a finger at Rachel's dropped jaw, "let me explain, I might because, it's a great opportunity. Yale is an amazing school, and I'd be stupid not to go for it, I know. But I also want to be with Brittany and Santana no matter how stupid that is. They're my best friends and I can't go off in the world without them."

Rachel frowned, "Even if it meant throwing away such a great opportunity for them?"

"It's dumb I know," Quinn muttered, "but don't you have that one person you'd be willing to throw it all away for?"

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat.

She did.

And it was the girl standing in front of her.

"College is so scary-" Quinn groaned, dropping her head into her hands, "instead of going I'd rather just road trip around the country. See amazing things rather than learn amazing things."

Rachel nodded, "Yeah that sounds pretty fun."

"Would you ever do it?" Quinn wondered out loud.

"Do what?"

"Skip college and just go straight to living life. Traveling the world, stuff like that?" Quinn said, messing with her fingernails as she bit on her bottom lip.

"Only for my one person-" Rachel muttered, "NYADA has taken up so much effort in my life, it'd be pretty stupid just to throw it away with the snap of my fingers."

"True," Quinn said, "whose your one person?"

Rachel pursed her lips to the side, "You don't know them."

"Oh," Quinn muttered disappointed, "I see."

"Yeah, no big deal." Rachel said dismissively.

"Yeah-" Quinn was cut off by Hiram walking up and slamming his hands down on the table.

"It's cake time!"

* * *

><p>It was almost exactly like the weekend before when Rachel had dropped Quinn off at her house.<p>

The blonde stared at her for a beat longer than necessary then she reached in for a quick kiss on the cheek and pulled away.

But this time, this time Rachel didn't let her go.

As Quinn was making her way towards the door Rachel shot her hand out and gripped Quinn's wrist, which caused the blonde to stop and turn around and stare at the brunette.

"Quinn-" Rachel muttered. "you know how I said that one person, that you don't know them?"

Quinn was mute but she nodded her head, her hair falling to cover her face.

Rachel didn't even notice when she pushed the hair behind her ear and the blonde's face tinted, her eyelids fluttering.

The brunette took an involuntary step forward straight into Quinn's personal space.

"It might be you-" Rachel whispered, "over the past few weeks you've become really close to me and I just wanted to let you know I'd be that for you-" Oh god, word vomit was coming, "and I just really love you, Quinn. You know that right? And I-anybody would be lucky to have you."

And Rachel couldn't help herself.

She leaned forward and captured the blonde's lips.

She didn't even care that she was quite possibly making the worst decision of her life.

All she cared about was the way Quinn felt in her arms, and the way Quinn's lips were soft and smooth.

The blonde let out a ragged sigh, and Rachel felt a moan erupting from the bottom of her throat.

She pushed the blonde backwards, and when the blonde's body connected with the front door, Rachel didn't waste any time in thrusting her thigh between the blonde's legs and raising it ever so slightly so the blonde could rock against it.

"Rachel," Quinn muttered, her head dropping back against the door with a loud thud, "what are you do-" The blonde's plea was cut off by Rachel's lips sucking on her pulse point by her neck. Instead a loud moan interrupted whatever she was about to say.

Rachel lifted her thigh to connect with Quinn's core, and the friction of the jeans rubbing against Quinn must have been perfect because, the blonde dropped her head and grunted loudly.

The brunette lifted her eyes to Quinn's face and saw the blonde, and she almost passed out at the sight.

Quinn had a line of sweat on her forehead, her lips were wet and parted, and her eyelids covered those beautiful eyes.

"Rachel?"

The brunette blinked and she no longer was kissing Quinn against a doorway.

She was standing close to Quinn, her hand still gripping Quinn's wrist.

"What?"

"You zoned out on me for a minute, I guess-" Quinn husked, "I said I love you too, Rachel."

_'Not like I love you,' _Rachel thought glumly.

The blonde gave her a confused look before shrugging, and pulling the girl into her arms.

Rachel didn't know how to react. She remained stiff during the hug and when Quinn pulled away she looked confused and a little hurt.

And that simple pained look in those hazel eyes, made Rachel get in her place.

She couldn't do this to Quinn.

She slowly leaned on her tiptoes and grabbed the blonde's cheeks pulling her forward gently and grazing her lips on Quinn's smooth forehead. She shut her eyes tightly, feeling the girl shiver in her hands before dropping her arms away and settling back down flat footed.

When she pulled away from the intimate act, Quinn was staring at her dumbfounded, and she simply nodded and began to move, "Bye Rachel. Thanks for tonight."

And not two seconds later the blonde was inside and the door was being slammed shut in Rachel's face.

And all Rachel could do was stare at the door and mutter out loud, "I you to love me back."

She stared at the door for a beat longer, hoping-_dreaming_, that Quinn would come running out the door and saying she did too.

But when it didn't happen, Rachel sighed, and turned, heading back to her car in disappointment.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I'm very happy about the reaction to the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one just as much. This chapter will be rated M! Enjoy!

**Chapter Twelve:**

It was just like the last time.

It some way, shape, or form Rachel Berry had managed to piss off Quinn Fabray.

The girl didn't have one single clue about how she pissed off the blonde, but she managed to do so.

It wasn't like she wanted to piss the girl off.

That was the last thing Rachel wanted.

She wanted to make the girl happy.

But she obviously couldn't.

All she could do was piss Quinn off.

When school rolled around the following Monday after they had hung out at the skating rink, Rachel was walking down the hallway, trying to be chipper about the day because, she was truly happy. She was happy all because of Quinn. She had her school books clung to her chest and her head held high a wide, gleaming smile placed on her lips. She had glanced upwards for a fraction of a second and spotted Quinn strutting down the hallway her head held high, similar to Rachel, a smug smirk placed on her face.

Rachel had smiled and raised her hand to wave at the blonde.

But instead of a chipper smile, the girl glanced up and her eyes narrowed into a harsh glare.

She immediately dropped her hand and felt like she had been shot with a dart straight in the palm.

And a sharp dart at that.

One of the worst feelings in the world was being ignored by Quinn Fabray.

She felt like she was being shot in the chest.

And she knew she didn't deserve this.

She didn't deserve this because she didn't do one single thing wrong.

And she wasn't going to have it this time.

She wasn't going to just sit around and wonder what Quinn was mad at her about.

This time she was actually going to do something about it.

She knew she wouldn't get anywhere by just staring at the blonde during class. Quinn would still ignore her and act like she didn't exist.

So that Tuesday, during her English class, when the teacher was turned around, Rachel subtly took her phone out of her jacket pocket and her thumbs snapped on the keyboard. She quickly sent the message to the blonde, before sliding her phone back into her jacket pocket once again, and focusing in on the teacher.

_Hey Quinn. Are you mad at me?_

It was a good ten minutes until her pocket was vibrating and she cast a swift glance at the teacher before pulling out her phone and reading the message that lit up the screen.

**Go to the bathroom.**

She figured nothing could be worst than the last time they had fought.

As she got up, she didn't even realize how severely wrong she was.

If she would have known what was going to happen she would have turned around and made her way back to her seat.

She smoothed her skirt down and walked up towards the front of the classroom, her heels clapping on the tile floor. She stopped in front of the teachers desk and tapped her knuckles on the wooden desk to capture the old woman's attention who was standing, outlining some Shakespeare play.

Her teacher looked up at Rachel from beneath her reading glasses and the brunette pursed her lips to the side.

"Bathroom?" She asked.

The teacher rolled her eyes and just flicked her thumb towards the classroom door, annoyed at being interrupted.

Rachel quickly said a mumbled thank you before walking out of the classroom and turning right to head towards the bathroom.

She kicked the door open with her foot and when she walked in she was met with the blonde, leaning against the sink on her hands, a guilty look on her face.

Her counselor told her whenever she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was her instincts talking to her. And as soon as Quinn met her eyes, Rachel knew this was bad and she should have sprinted out of the bathroom as fast as possible, but she couldn't when Quinn straightened and smiled.

"Hey Rach." Quinn said in a hushed tone.

Oh god.

This was bad.

Bad.

Bad.

Bad.

But she was a little relieved to know that this was the Quinn she was used to. This wasn't the Quinn who glared at her yesterday in the halls.

This Quinn was back to her Quinn.

Except she looked incredibly guilty.

Rachel glanced at the ground and picked at her fingers.

"What happened?"

Quinn narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side skeptically, "What makes you think something happened?"

"Are you shitting me?" Rachel groaned, shaking her head and walking beside the blonde to go look at herself in the mirror.

She stared at the face looking back at her and she wasn't pleased with the results.

She looked tired, sad, and confused.

All the signs of being hopelessly in love.

Her eyes shifted away from her own and she glanced at Quinn who was tearing away the skin on her bottom lip with her teeth.

"You are on one of your bitch modes." Rachel finished her previous thought.

Quinn licked her lips and nodded, "Y-yeah, I know." She stammered.

Rachel narrowed her eyes and turned around, taking a deep breath and leaning back on the heels of her hands on the sink, staring at Quinn who was looking down at the ground, a guilty look on her face.

The suspense was killing her.

And so was the look on Quinn's face.

So she pushed away all of her feelings and focused solely on Quinn's.

She stood straight and slowly took the few steps closer to Quinn until she was right in front of her.

She raised one hand and gripped the blonde's shoulder.

The hazel eyes skidded to hers, and Rachel held her breath at the intense gaze.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, although it could have only been thirty seconds.

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat, and she tilted her head to the side.

"What is it Quinn?" She murmured.

Quinn looked torn.

"You don't want to know." She breathed back, her breath blowing across Rachel's face.

"But I really do." Rachel reassured her.

"You are going to hate me." Quinn whispered, her head dropping and a blush appearing on her face.

"Don't say that-" Rachel whispered, shaking her head and feeling sadness creep up her stomach like a spider up it's web. She could never hate Quinn, and she hated the fact that Quinn thought she could.

Unconsciously, Rachel raised her hand and stroked Quinn's bangs behind her ear, feeling her heart tightening. She flickered her gaze down to the blonde's lips and back up to her eyes, "Don't ever say that. I could never hate you Quinn."

Rachel watched as Quinn licked her lips and inhaled a shaky breath, before sniffling and stepping closer to the brunette, her forehead coming down to rest on the brunette's shoulder.

The brunette froze and after a minor pause, she wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist, gently squeezing the blonde.

"I, uhm-" Quinn cut herself off and burrowed her face deeper into Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel held her breath.

She was about to find out whatever Quinn had done.

The brunette gripped Quinn's shirt tightly and shut her eyes, just waiting for the blonde to speak.

"FinnandIaredating." Quinn said out loud, softly and quickly, almost to the point where Rachel didn't hear it.

But she did hear it.

And she knew what that meant.

Rachel felt herself fall apart and her arms dropped away from Quinn's waist.

She glanced at one of the stalls behind the blonde's shoulder and she wanted to run into one of the toilets and drown herself by flushing her head down the drain.

Quinn looked desperate as she pulled away from Rachel and she looked guilty.

Rachel felt the tears coming.

Fast and strong.

Quinn's face became noticeably more white.

Rachel frowned, shaking her head. She was at a lost for words.

But she managed to muster up the courage to say something.

"Okay-" She said so quietly, she wasn't even sure if the blonde had heard her, "I'm happy for you, I really am. I don't love him anymore, I love y-somebody else." Rachel said, trying to convince the blonde she alright. But in fact she was trying more to convince herself.

"Yeah, I love somebody else so don't worry about it-t. It's not like this little thing with this other person is going to work out anyway. They're taken." She rambled out, "I guess some people aren't just meant for love like others - so yeah, be with Finn, I'm totally okay with it Quinn. But I-I got to go back to class, so this was a great-"

"Rachel-" Quinn started, leaning forward and grabbing Rachel's wrist, but the brunette yanked it away like she had been stung.

"Sorry, bye, Quinn." Rachel's face scrunched up to hide the tears and she quickly turned, not giving the blonde a chance to call her back.

She walked away from the love of her life, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

><p>"<em>I need to tell you something. You were right, in a way, I should've been able to say what I wanted to... I'm in love with you. I always have been. I thought you were the unfair one, but it was unfair of me not to say it. So I've said it... I was nothing. I felt like nothing. Less than. You changed that." <em>

Freddie Highmore's face was filled with such passion and such love, that she could barely even watch the flickering television screen.

The love on the screen was sickening.

Love in general was sickening.

God, why was she even watching this?

Even tall, awkward boys deserved love like Freddie Highmore.

And she didn't?

Life wasn't fair.

Love wasn't fair.

"Are you off in your own little world again?" Kurt whispered, almost like it was a secret.

Rachel licked her lips and tore her gaze away from the screen to her best friend who was sitting next to her.

He had on a pair of puppy footy pajamas, and his face was sympathetic as he watched Rachel's face flicker with different emotions.

Rachel had called Kurt twenty minutes after she had gotten over her conversation with Quinn in the bathroom. The boy found her, a blubbering mess in the girl's locker room. He had leaned down and brought one of Rachel's arms over his shoulder and carried her out to his car. They had ditched school for the rest of the day and had made their way back to Rachel's house.

When they entered Rachel's house, she just couldn't take it anymore and she collapsed on the ground, curling herself into the fetal position.

Kurt had stood, his jaw dropped for a split second before he went into action.

He leaned down and whispering caring words into the brunette's ear, before running into the kitchen and grabbing Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

When he had leaned down and showed her the carton she had let out a meek laugh and the boy had given her his signature smile.

He had leaned down and let Rachel hop onto his back.

He ran her upstairs and when he set her down on the bed, she started crying.

Again.

Kurt didn't force Rachel to explain what happened.

He just let her get all of the pain out.

They had watched two movies so far and were on the third one. While Kurt watched the sappy romance flick, Rachel had indeed, been off in her own little world.

"You could say that." Rachel replied, turning on her side and pulling the pillow closer to her head, and glancing up at the boy who was staring down at her.

Kurt stared at her for a second, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Want to talk about it?" He mustered out finally.

Rachel bit on her bottom lip thoughtfully.

She did want to talk about it.

She wanted to tell someone how she was feeling.

She wanted to tell Kurt she was heartbroken. She wanted to tell him that she couldn't imagine Quinn with anyone but her. She wanted to tell him that she had all these stupid little fantasies made up in her head of what her and Quinn would do if they were dating. What their first date would be like, what their life in the future would be like.

Everything.

But she couldn't because it would be one huge waste.

One huge waste because Quinn was dating Finn.

All she needed to do was try and forget the feelings she had been developing for Quinn.

She had to forget, otherwise she'd be unhappy her whole life.

Even though deep down she knew she was lying to herself.

She didn't think she'd ever be able to get over Quinn.

Ever.

Rachel glanced up to see Kurt still looking down at her, the same concerned, sympathetic expression held on his warm face.

She felt her heart yearn to tell him, but she knew she couldn't.

So she just sighed and scooted closer to the boy so she could cuddle with him, "I'd rather not." She murmured quietly.

She gripped a handful of cloth from his pajamas, and the boy didn't seem to mind as he rested his cheek on her forehead.

And within minutes, Rachel was asleep in his arms.

* * *

><p><em>"I remember it all, Rach." Quinn gripped her shoulders, leaning down so they were at eye level, "I remember the drunken kisses. I remember the almost-sober kisses. I remember it all and I'm so in love with you, and I should have just told you from the beginning. I was just scared. And that's all I'm ever going to be with you - is scared. You terrify me and amaze me all at the same time, Rachel Berry." <em>

_Her eyes widened and her heart was beating wildly in her chest. _

_"You couldn't possibly love me." _

_Quinn scoffed, "Rachel, you are beautiful." _

_She dropped her head and shook it once, not wanting to fall for whatever prank Quinn was trying to pull. _

_But she felt smooth fingers grip her chin and turn her head back towards the blonde. She was looking at her, passion flooded in her hazel eyes, and disappointment holding her expression. She watched as the hazel gaze flickered down to her mouth then back up to her eyes before very slowly making her way in. _

_"Quinn, please don-" Her plea was cut off by those warm lips upon hers._

_She barely even had time to react to the kiss before the blonde was taking steps forward, that made Rachel take steps backwards. _

_And when her back hit a wall, she was a goner. _

_She brought her hands up and curled them in short blonde hair, scratching her nails along Quinn's scalp, and smiling into those lips when the blonde let out a loud grunt, thrusting her hips forward to show her appreciation. _

_Her body was trapped with Quinn's. That body was warm, inviting, and completely relaxed. _

_Rachel tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss, and she let out a soft whimper into the blonde's mouth when Quinn thrust one muscular thigh in between Rachel's legs and brought it north to brush against Rachel's heated, nearly wet core. _

_Quinn teasingly traced her tongue over the curves of Rachel's full lips and when the blonde nipped at her bottom lip, Rachel was all to willing to invite the blonde's warm, wet tongue into her mouth. _

_Their tongues met in a warm tango for dominance, and Quinn inevitably won, when she bit down on Rachel's bottom lip in a warning. _

_The brunette gasped and smacked her lips away from Quinn's, her head making a loud smack against the wall._

_"Are you oka-" Quinn started to say but was cut off by Rachel forcing her head down to her neck.  
><em>

_Quinn wasted no time in the compromising position as she trailed open-mouthed, hot kisses down Rachel's structured jaw line. The blonde nipped a path towards Rachel's ear, but stopped, hesitating for a moment. _

_Rachel was just about to squeeze her hand concerned, but then the blonde nipped at her earlobe, Rachel couldn't contain her hormones and she let out a loud moan, rolling her hips down onto Quinn's thigh, basically humping it._

_"Sorry-" Rachel began to mutter, but was cut off when Quinn brought her thigh up roughly._

_"Don't say sorry." Quinn said in a husky voice, nipping at Rachel's pulse point. _

_Rachel shut her eyes tightly, trying to calm down the fireworks in the pit of her stomach and the way her underwear was basically soaked. _

_The blonde continued her trail further down Rachel's exposed skin towards her collarbone, and when she settled upon it, the blonde nipped at it, and Rachel nearly giggled at the sensation. It tickled, but it also felt good at the same time._

_Rachel felt like she was receiving to much, so she gripped Quinn's forearms and pulled her upwards, and smashed their lips together in a heated kiss. _

_She boldly untangled her hands from the blonde hair and brought them down to Quinn's hips. She scratched her nails along the protruding hipbones and Quinn let out a hiss. _

_The brunette couldn't help but smiling smugly at the sound. _

_Hoping she could get another sound out of the blonde, she wrapped her hands back towards the blonde's ass and thrust the girl into her own body, and the sound that it produced was much better than the previous one._

_"Oh fuck yes-" Quinn moaned, gripping Rachel's shirt and basically pulling her towards the bed that happened to appear in the room._

_Rachel's head was racing in thoughts like, 'this couldn't be happening, this has got to be a dream-' _

_But her thoughts came to a dead stop when the back of her knees hit the mattress and she fell back onto the warm bed. The blonde crawled on top of her and splayed herself out, holding her weight on her forearms, and kissing the brunette hungrily._

_They made out for a few minutes, until Quinn abruptly pulled away and set back on her heels looking down at the brunette._

_"What is it?" Rachel was surprised to hear how low her voice had gotten, but she didn't really care with the way Quinn was looking at her._

_The blonde looked at her like she was undressing her with her eyes, and surely the blonde was doing just that._

_With a shaky hand, Quinn slowly reached for the hem of Rachel's shirt, before looking up at the brunette from underneath her eyelashes._

_"May I?" _

_Rachel's jaw dropped and her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head at the question._

_"You don't even have to ask." She whispered. _

_The blonde grinned smugly before slowly inching the shirt up Rachel's body. _

_Rachel watched the blonde react to every sliver of skin that became available to her eyes. _

_When the blonde reached the black bra that was hung tightly to a pair of tan breasts, Rachel watched Quinn lick her lips and take a sharp intake of breath before pulling the shirt off the rest of the way._

_When the shirt was discarded on the floor Quinn moved further down Rachel's body and took her sweet time to kiss Rachel's stomach. _

_She trailed open-mouthed kisses along the tips of Rachel's bra, occasionally flickering out her tongue. Her hands were occupied by toying with one of Rachel's bra straps on her shoulder. When Quinn made a final loop down to the top of Rachel's belly button and bit down on the spot Rachel thrust her hips forward and groaned._

_"Quinn, please-" She groaned, trying not to sound needy, even though she was nearly dying of need._

_"What is it baby?" Quinn asked coyly, leaning upwards and grinning at the blonde._

_Baby._

_That word did things to her body._

_"Touch m-me." Rachel stammered, tilting her head to the side pleadingly._

_"Where?" Quinn pressed, letting one bra strap slip down Rachel's shoulder and moving her hands to the other and toying with it._

_Rachel couldn't tell her where because, she suddenly became shy so she reached for Quinn's hands and slowly brought them up towards her breasts, all the while keeping her eyes glued to Quinn's who was staring right back at her._

_When their hands finally touched Rachel's breasts, Quinn took the opportunity to look down and when she squeezed the mounds once Rachel let out a groan and dropped her head back into the pillows, removing her hands from Quinn's._

_Quinn grinned from above her and reached for the other bra strap slipping it off quickly. She wasted no time in lifting Rachel up gently and undoing the bra clasp in the back. She threw the bra somewhere in the room and slowly placed her hands back onto the enticing breasts._

_Rachel bit down on her bottom lip and shut her eyes as Quinn began to tease her nipples with her forefinger and thumb._

_"Harder." She moaned, gripping the sheets beneath her fingers._

_Quinn groaned and slowly lowered her body down, complying with pinching her nipples harder and Rachel careened her hips forward, begging for some sort of attention down below her waist._

_"I'll get there." Quinn promised, and then her hands were gone._

_Rachel leaned up on her elbows to glance down at the blonde and her mouth was open ready to complain, but just as the words left her mouth, Quinn was wrapping her lips around her left nipple and she felt even more wetness pool between her legs and she let out a whine. _

_Quinn sucked the nipple into her mouth softly at first but then began to pull harder on it, in order to get more reactions out of the brunette._

_She could hear the sounds of Rachel gripping the sheets beside her ears so she pulled her lips away from the delicious breast, to glance up at Rachel, "Put your hands in my hair." _

_And then she was lowering her mouth to the other nipple and giving it the same attention she had given the other one.  
><em>

_Rachel complied and she dug her fingers in that blonde hair that she loved and she groaned when the blonde flicked her tongue over her nipple._

_The brunette pulled gently on Quinn's hair, and when the blonde groaned beneath her Rachel grinned, obviously noticing if she pulled on the blonde's hair she'd get a reaction._

_So Rachel dug her fingers deeper to grasp those golden locks, and when Quinn sucked hard on her nipple, Rachel thrust her hips forward and pulled Quinn's hair roughly._

_The reaction was amazing._

_Quinn bit down on her nipple and moaned loudly, the vibrations doing amazing things to Rachel's body._

_"Oh god-" Rachel moaned, pulling Quinn away from her breasts, "I need you, Quinn." _

_Quinn pulled away and licked her lips, smiling at Rachel before bending down and giving her a kiss, nodding once and slowly moving further down the bed, bringing her hands to grasp the button on the brunette's jeans. She tugged the zipper down, and in a swift movement had the brunette's jeans off and on the floor leaving her in a black lace underwear. _

_Quinn felt her mouth water at the sight of the beautiful brunette below her._

_"Rachel?" Quinn whispered, as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of Rachel's underwear, teasingly, pulling them down at a slow rate._

_"What?" _

_When the blonde had the underwear down to her ankles, she glanced up and saw Rachel glistening with wetness and Quinn couldn't ignore the moan that climbed up her throat. _

_"Oh fuck-" She groaned throatily, pulling the underwear off from Rachel's feet and throwing it carelessly to the side before rising up towards Rachel's face, "you are always beautiful everyday, but right now-" She cut off, her eyes catching the gleaming juices beneath her once again, "with you dripping wet for me-" _

_Rachel moaned, her hips rising up ever so slightly._

_"you have never been fucking hotter." Quinn finished, her hands slowly making a path up Rachel's legs, towards their destination._

_Rachel felt her body tense under the blonde's movements and right as the blonde was about to finally touch her where she wanted to be touched most, she stopped the blonde by letting out a groan._

_"What is it?" Quinn murmured, glancing up at the brunette for a brief second._

_Rachel smiled gently, "I just love you." _

_Quinn's face held a wide variety of emotions that Rachel couldn't decipher. _

_But she didn't care when the blonde leaned forward, and gripped Rachel's cheek softly, rubbing her thumb along the cheekbone before leaning down and pressing a passionate kiss to those swollen lips. _

_"I love you too, Rach. I always have." She murmured, dropping back down on her heels and glancing back towards the wetness in between Rachel's legs._

_"You ready for this?" Quinn murmured, her hand inching closer and closer towards her._

_"Ready." Rachel replied, closing her eyes and reaching down to grip one of Quinn's hands in her own, lacing their fingers together tightly._

_She felt the tip of Quinn's fingers touch her moist pussy, and rub against her clit and she let out the loudest moan of the whole nigh-_

"Rachel-" A voice that was not Quinn's interrupted her dream, "Rachel, are you okay?"

She peeled open her eyes, feeling weak as she slowly tore her gaze up towards Kurt who was staring down at her, his eyes wide.

"Just a bad dream." She murmured, snuggling deeper into the boy.

"What was it about?" Kurt asked concerned.

"It was actually a g-good dream," Rachel muttered, "but bad at the same time."

Kurt nodded, running a hand through his bed-head hair. It was one of the rare moments you would ever see Kurt Hummel looking anything but perfect.

"I've had those before," Kurt sighed, sinking back into the bed and glancing over Rachel's shoulder to see darkness outside the window, "let me guess, Quinn?"

Rachel chuckled, burrowing further into the boy and letting out a content sigh when the boy wrapped one arm around her shoulder and curled her closer.

"How'd you know?" Rachel muttered sarcastically, her voice muffled by the boys body.

"I'm a genius."

Rachel snorted and shook her head, murmuring a good night before letting dreams overtake her once again.

* * *

><p>She tried to stay focus on the song that was bursting in her ears, rather than on the girl and boy snuggling down the hallway.<p>

Rachel bit on her bottom lip and tried to tune into Natalie Wood's angelic voice that was singing I Feel Pretty into her ears.

Mr. Schuester had announced that they were doing West Side Story as McKinley's first musical, and Rachel immediately perked up at the opportunity. She was born to play Maria in an adaptation of West Side Story, and she planned to do so.

But with Finn pushing Quinn's hair behind her ear not even fifty feet away, Rachel was finding a hard time on concentrating.

She pulled out her binder out of her locker, vaguely hearing the tardy bell ring, and she sighed.

She was the third audition for the day so she had about twenty minutes to kill before she had to be in the auditorium.

She flipped open her binder and looked down at the sheet music for I Feel Pretty and she hummed it to herself.

Of course she was going to sing her go-to song. When preforming she had always learned to do something you are great at, taking chances didn't always go the way you wanted. And considering that fact that she knew I Feel Pretty like the back of her hand, she figured that's what she would preform too.

She felt an absence from her ear and glanced down to see an ear bud drop against her hip and sway for a second, and then she heard the blonde speaking to her.

"Rachel?" Quinn's voice was low and cautious.

The brunette wanted to groan.

Why did Quinn have to exist?

Why did Rachel have to love her?

She slowly pulled out the other ear bud and turned towards the blonde who had her eyebrows raised slightly and a unreadable expression on her face.

"Hello Quinn," Rachel said curtly, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I really must get going. West Side Story auditions today and I can't be late for that. I was born to play Maria since I was an infant-" She muttered, cutting off and glancing up at those hazel eyes and she felt herself floating away into the sea, even though she was trying so desperately to stay on shore.

"Bye." She started and turned, but the blonde didn't seem to care as she gripped her wrist and spun her back around.

"Hey don't be mad at me-" Quinn muttered, obviously having word vomit because she looked guilty immediately after she said it. "What are you singing?"

"Huh?" She mumbled, confused at the sudden change in topic.

"Are you singing I Feel Pretty or something else?" Quinn repeated the question.

Rachel rolled her eyes, curious as to what this had to do with anything, "I'm singing I Feel Pretty, it's an easy song choice, I've practiced a million times, so of course I'm singing that. Although, I don't think that has anything to do with you or this conversation." She said dismissively, turning once again to leave but being yanked back to her spot.

"Don't sing it." Quinn said bluntly.

"Excuse me?" She replied offended.

"Don't sing it," Quinn murmured, shaking her head, "sing something that will blow them away. Sing Somewhere, you'll knock Shue's socks off."

Rachel immediately shook her head, "I've only sung that a few times and I'm not good enough to sing it."

Quinn scoffed, "Don't be stupid - sing the song, Rachel. Just do it."

And with that Quinn walked away.

Rachel was furious.

Quinn thought she should tell her what to sing?

That was crazy.

Insane.

The blonde obviously knew Rachel was pissed off at her and she still had the nerve to tell her to change her song, and then leave like she didn't want to be there!

Rachel wanted to punch a wall.

Quinn Fabray was so goddamn infuriating.

* * *

><p>She had nailed the audition.<p>

Mr. Schuester, Miss Pillsbury, Coach Beiste, and Artie had given her a standing ovation after she sang and she did a little dance inside her head.

Now, as she walked through the front door Quinn's voice rang in her head.

_"Sing Somewhere, you'll knock Shue's socks off." _

And Rachel had done just that.

She had slowly made her way onto the stage, the bright lines making it hard for her to see. She had said her name in a cheery voice like she always did for any audition and just as she turned to the band, she had saw Quinn standing behind the lead guitarist.

No, not literally.

But she swore it could have really been her.

The blonde gave her that skeptical look as if to say, "Seriously Rach? Don't be stubborn. Just listen to me."

And Rachel bit her bottom lip, contemplating with herself before she groaned and turned back to her teacher, "Give me a second, Mr. Shuester."

She had ran off stage and quickly grabbed the sheet music for Somewhere and ran back onstage, handing it to the band. She apologized for the change in song and she was happy to see none of the group looked terribly mad at her.

If it hadn't of been for Quinn, Rachel would have bombed the audition.

She wouldn't have as good of a chance to play Maria if she would have sang I Feel Pretty.

She smiled as she bit down on her lip, a tint of red coming to her cheeks as she dropped her backpack, obviously making enough noise to alert her fathers of her presence because, the two men walked in from behind the stairs, a warm smile on their faces.

"Hey honey!" Hiram started, smiling at the warm blush on Rachel's face, "Did you just see Quinn or something?"

Rachel immediately darkened, "No, why?"

Leroy subtly shoved Hiram in the side, "No, honey. You just always seem happier whenever you leave from Quinn's," Leroy mumbled quietly, dropping his head.

"Oh-" Rachel mumbled, "Yeah, Quinn and I are kind of on a bad note right now." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

Leroy and Hiram nodded their heads as if they knew, "You've been a bit down lately, so we figured."

Rachel paused.

Oh my god.

Did her fathers know?

No way, it's not possible.

She licked her lips and kicked the toe of her shoe on the hardwood floor.

"Dad, Daddy, let's have a seat in the living room." She mumbled quietly and turned without looking back to see if the two men were following her.

But a pair of footsteps behind her reassured her that they were following.

She slowly descended onto one of the couches. She smoothed out her skirt and ran a hand through her hair, a common habit of hers when she was under pressure or in nerve-racking situations. Her fathers approached the other couch and Leroy sat on the left side, while Hiram sat down on the right.

Rachel watched the two intertwine fingers and she felt a sting of jealousy hit her heart at the sight.

Her fathers were so madly in love with each other that she wished she could have a love like that with Quinn, or anybody for that matter.

But mostly Quinn.

"So what brought on this serious matter?" Leroy said jokingly, cocking one eyebrow up. He may have sounded like he was joking around, but his expression said otherwise.

She looked at the ground and felt a wave of nervousness flood over her. She felt her heart beat a smidgen faster and her breath accelerated. She glanced up and looked at her caring fathers. Her caring fathers that she loved so much. Caring fathers she would die for.

"Dad, daddy-" She addressed them, flickering her gaze between the two of them, "I think I uhm-" She cut off, searching for the right words.

She couldn't help but giggle inside her head at the irony.

She was scared to tell her two very gay fathers, that she was gay herself.

"What is it honey?" Hiram asked curiously, reaching one hand out and touching her skirt-clad thigh comfortingly.

"It's just-" She licked her lips, feeling it on the edge of her tongue.

She shut her eyes and just told herself to do it.

"I think I might like girls."

Her fathers nodded and they glanced at each other, before turning back to Rachel.

"We know, honey." They both said at the same time.

Rachel froze, her eyes narrowing, "How?"

They chuckled at the comment, and Leroy looked at Hiram as if to say, 'would you like to explain?'

"Honey," Hiram started, "We may not have given birth to you-"

"Obviously." Leroy cut in sarcastically.

"Shut the hell up!" Hiram growled, nudging his husband with his foot, "Anyway, like I was saying - we may not have given birth to you, but we raised you. And Rachel, you've always been very open about your emotions and we can tell when something is up with you. And I guess in the past year or so, we've just been able to tell."

Rachel frowned.

"But, that doesn't make sense?"

Leroy snorted, "Rach, honey, we've seen you internet browser history. Rachel McAdams ass?" He said, with a cocked eyebrow, "No straight girl goes looking into that."

Oh god.

She wanted to die.

She knew if she never deleted her history, her fathers were bound to check it out at some point.

Goddamn Rachel McAdams and that beautiful ass.

"Well then..." Rachel frowned, unable to know what to say.

"Do you like anyone in particular?" Leroy mused, tilting his head to the side.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

She really didn't want to explain her love life to her fathers.

"I like Quinn."

"Well duh!"

Rachel guffawed, "Well how did you know?"

"Have you seen the way you look at her?" Leroy said bluntly.

"How do I look at her? I look at her like I look at Kurt." Rachel defended herself angrily.

They both chuckled for a split second, "No, you look at Kurt like he is someone you love and someone who is your best friend. Rachel, when you look at Quinn, you look at her like you want to throw her on a couch somewhere and have your way with her-"

"Dad!"

"Sorry-" They both said, even though only one of them was actually speaking.

"Anyway, you look at her like that occasionally, but you also look at her like you adore her. You look at her like you are seeing the sun for the very first time. You look at her like if she was upset you'd hold her in your arms. You look like you think she's the most beautiful girl in the world."

Rachel licked her lips and stuck her tongue out to the side.

"She is the most beautiful girl in the world."

Leroy frowned and Hiram copied the movement, "You really like her, huh?"

Rachel nodded, "Yes, a lot."

She frowned and felt a sad smile appear on her face.

Her dads looked at her and then beckoned her with one finger, "C'mere honey."

And they held their baby girl just like they used to when she was a little girl.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen:**

She doesn't know why it is so difficult to talk to Quinn after everything that happened, but it was.

It'd been four weeks since they had an actual conversation and said more than eight words to each other.

And Rachel had missed her badly.

Everyday during school, even though it was a little creepy, she'd glance down the hallway at the blonde.

It was always the same thing. Quinn would be leaned up against the locker and Finn would be hovering over her, one hand placed by her head on the locker. They'd both be grinning up at each other. Finn would make a move to kiss her but Quinn would turn away abruptly and the boys lips would graze her cheek instead.

And in that span of five seconds, Quinn would raise her gaze and meet Rachel who was staring at the interaction between the couple.

The first time Quinn had saw her looking at her and Finn, Rachel had tore her gaze away quickly, embarrassed to be caught gawking at them.

But as the week had progressed, and Quinn had met her gaze every time, Rachel couldn't find it in herself to look away.

Quinn ultimately would tear her gaze away every time and look back up at Finn with a hesitant smile.

Finn would return with a sad smile on his face and he'd slowly raise his hand up and stroke Quinn's cheek.

And then Quinn would do something, every single goddamn time, that broke Rachel's heart.

Made it literally tear in her chest.

Quinn would lean into the Finn's palm and sigh, kissing the boys wrist and giving him a reassuring smile.

It was disgusting.

It made Rachel sick.

She didn't know why she watched it. Maybe it's because if she looked away she would start crying and she didn't want to risk crying at school. Or the risk of Quinn seeing her.

And it also agitated her that the couple never did anything different. Literally after every class period they traveled to Quinn's locker and just sat there, staring into each other's eyes like some sappy chick flick. They had no originality.

Rachel would at least mix it up a little bit.

Quinn would never be bored in a relationship with her.

Sometimes they'd be up against her locker and just talk about the most useless things.

Other times Rachel would take her into the school gym and just run around, teasing each other and laughing when one of them fell on the ground.

Or other times, they'd be so horny they'd lock themselves in the janitor's closet and make out until the last bell of the day rang.

And if Rachel ever got an opportunity to ask Quinn to a dance, she would not waste it.

Rachel would never do the sappy shit that all of the boys of McKinley High School did by hanging up posters on their girlfriends lockers.

She would try and be creative about it with Quinn.

She'd be unique.

Together they would be unique.

When Quinn would wake up one morning a few days before the dance, she'd get ready in whatever routine she did and then she would walk outside and there would be one single rose sitting on her front step with a anonymous tag written on it to her. The tag would have some ridiculously cheesy saying on it and she hoped Quinn would be amused by the cheesy line.

When Quinn got to school during her first block, Rachel would pay someone to walk inside her classroom with a giant teddy bear.

The next hour, she would have someone walk in and give her a gardenia to match her eyes.

And hopefully the blonde would understand a gardenia meant secret love.

She knew it was sappy because Finn had given her a gardenia for their junior prom. When she had asked him why he chose the gardenia he had said, someone gave him the idea to give it to her because, it meant secret love. And when she had asked who, Finn wouldn't tell her.

But the plus side with Quinn was gardenia's matched Quinn's beautiful hazel eyes and Rachel was secretly in love with her.

After the hour she got Quinn the flowers she'd watch Quinn open her locker. And when she did open her locker there would be two small teddy bears in her locker and one would say,_ 'I'm the big teddy bear, you're the little one. Spooning anyone?'_

And then the mysterious gifts would stop until later that night when Rachel would show up at her door step and ask Quinn to come with her. She wouldn't say why, but when Quinn got into the car they'd drive off towards McKinley.

They'd pull up and Rachel would be the perfect... Gentleman? Woman? Gentlewoman? Womangentle? She didn't know. She'd thought about this before. Which was she out of those choices?

She'd walk over to Quinn's car door and open it and then lead her towards the football field. She'd set Quinn down on one of the bleachers and she would say she'd be right back. She'd run upstairs and turn the overhead lights on, and on the field in a series of poster sized pictures, Rachel would be spelling out with her body, "Will you go to prom with me?"

And then in her dreams, Quinn would say of course and they'd go the dance and have a great time. And then Rachel would drop her off at home and kiss her and the blonde would actually remember it, and then they would become the next power couple of McKinley. Then Rachel would go to NYADA and Quinn would go to that cheer leading college she wanted to go to or Yale, and they'd pull through the long distance things. And then they'd get married and have babies... And things would just be perfect.

But this was reality, and the odds of that actually happening were... Slim.

So instead she was forced to watch Finn Hudson grope the girl of her dreams right in front of her.

She just needed to suck it up. She needed to be a big girl and march right over there and talk to the blonde whether the girl wanted to or not. She needed to take a control. She needed to be the assertive Rachel Berry that everybody loved and hated.

The perfect opportunity arose when Finn leaned down and towered over the blonde, giving her a bone crushing hug before turning and waddling away towards his class.

Rachel felt disgusted that the boy didn't even walk the girl to her class.

What kind of boyfriend was he?

She quickly shook her head and walked over to the blonde who was pushing herself off the lockers and heading in her direction.

As they neared each other, Rachel flashed her smile and stepped in front of Quinn's way.

The blonde returned her smile and came to a stop in the hallway in front of her.

"Hi Rachel." Quinn said, her eyes brightening.

Even the use of her name rolling off Quinn's beautiful lips was amazing.

She blushed and clung her binder closer to her chest as she tilted her head to the side shyly.

"Hey Quinn." Rachel gleamed back. "What are you doing tonight?"

Quinn pursed her lips to the side and she appeared to be thinking for a second before replying, "Nothing that I am aware of, why?"

_Say it._

Be brave.

Act like nothing happened.

Be her friend.

"Tonight is the opening for West Side Story and I was wondering if you would want to go and maybe we can go out to eat or something afterwards?" Rachel suggested. "I mean we haven't hung out in a while and I kind of missed you, so I thought it'd be a good way to hang out since the school year is ending soon and who knows where we will be after the summer is over."

Quinn nodded, seeming to think over the question before answering.

"That sounds great! I'd love to go and spend time with you!" Quinn perked, "And I secretly missed you too."

Quinn gave her a flirty wink, and Rachel found herself swallowing the lump in her throat and nodding, "Great, I'll see you tonight then?"

"Definitely. I'll be cheering for you!" Quinn said, a smile on her face and then glancing upwards as the bell echoed through the hallway.

Rachel tore her gaze away from the blonde for a brief moment before turning back to her.

"Okay," She mumbled, nodding, "Bye."

"Bye." Quinn replied, looking as if she wanted to say more but she bit her tongue.

Rachel nodded, her lips pulled together in a tight line, and she quickly walked past the blonde. And just as she rounded the corner, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Quinn watching her.

And for that split second, she believed it could happen between her and Quinn.

* * *

><p>She picked at her thumbnail nervously, her heart racing in her chest as she glanced out at the crowd from behind the curtain, searching for short blonde hair sticking out in the crowd.<p>

When she didn't see it she felt an ounce of disappointment but she held it back as she turned and faced her Tony, a junior named Blaine Anderson. She didn't know him very well but she did know that he was a great singer, and he was gay.

He was actually a very good match for Kurt.

Where Kurt was more feminine, Blaine was a bit more careful on just how gay he was in public. Which Rachel found ironic because the boy wore bow ties every single chance he got and that just screamed gay to her.

The boy looked nervous and his forehead was lit up with a line of sweat.

She felt an ounce of sympathy float through her. She remembered the first time she had been on the stage... She had felt like she was going to pee, poop, and puke all at the same time.

The three P's.

They were disastrous.

She sighed and realized she needed to be there for her fellow Tony, so she straightened down her dress and walked over to the boy, giving him a sideways smile as he turned to look at her.

"Hey Blaine," She murmured, bringing her hand up gently to rest on his shoulder, "how are you feeling?"

The boy furrowed his bushy eyebrows and slowly let out a shaky breath, "I'm nervous, extremely nervous."

Rachel sighed and pursed her lips, "That's understandable, but just remember if you feel like you are going to faint just look at me, I'm your partner in this whole thing and I won't let you fall, okay?"

The boy glanced at her, indecision lacing his face, but he seemed to give in and after a second he slowly nodded. "Okay, thanks Rachel." He murmured, shaking his head and returning her smile with a polite one of his own.

"Anytime." Rachel murmured, preparing to turn and go back to searching for Quinn when in idea popped in her head.

"Are you single?" She quickly burst out turning back to the boy.

Blaine's eyes widened and a blush appeared on his cheeks, "Uh-I don't play for your tea-"

"Not for me!" Rachel exclaimed. "For my friend Kurt."

"Oh." Blaine murmured. "Well then yes, I am."

"Okay." She said with a mischievous smile and turning, teasing the boy as she went. "I'll hook you guys up."

She headed back to the spot she had been standing behind the curtain and she quickly peered through the crack and looked for any sign of blonde hair. She was sure she spotted it in the front row, but it was some little boy and she frowned.

There was five minutes until showtime.

And Quinn wasn't there.

Her life was over.

* * *

><p>She was in the midst of singing One Hand One Heart with Blaine when out of the corner of her eye she spotted blonde hair.<p>

She hadn't intentionally been looking for Quinn - actually she had but she didn't want to tell herself that.

There was no way to tell if the blonde had been standing up in the corner of the auditorium the whole time but, when Rachel saw her she nearly broke character to smile and wave at the blonde. But she didn't and she tried to stay focused on her partner, realizing it was nearly impossible.

"_Now it begins, now we start, one hand, one heart; even death won't part us now." _She gripped tightly onto the boys clammy hands and tried her best to focus on his eyes, but she couldn't because, she saw Quinn shift in her peripheral vision and she noticed the flowers that the girl was holding and she felt her heart explode into a thousand pieces.

She licked her lips warily and stared back at the boy who had one eyebrow cocked up, but other than that looked fine.

Quinn was holding flowers.

For her?

She had no clue.

But she was ecstatic to find out.

* * *

><p>There were hoots and hollers everywhere in the crowd.<p>

She couldn't depict certain voices in the crowd.

She had so much adrenaline running through her she could barely stand it.

Her back was sweating, her voice was hoarse, her palm was sweating with Blaine's sweat.

Quinn was jumping up and down in the back of the auditorium.

It was a lot to take in.

The night had been a success.

* * *

><p>"Rachel!" Quinn's voice squealed with delight and Rachel turned towards the sound, beginning to smile but before she could reply, she was attacked in a hug from the blonde, who basically threw herself at her.<p>

She couldn't help but giggling and wrapping the blonde up tight in her arms, relieved to have the girl in her arms, where she belonged after so long. God, even her perfume was the same and Rachel felt herself getting carried away into the scent of the blonde around her.

"You did so amazing up there, Rach!" Quinn whispered, burying her face into the brunette's neck causing Rachel's back to erupt in goosebumps.

Rachel couldn't erase the large grin that was stuck on her face, so she just gripped the material of the blonde's jacket and just held on, forcing back tears of happiness because, she didn't want Quinn to know just how much she had actually missed her.

The last thing she wanted to do was seem pathetic.

She could feel Quinn's breath on her neck and she bit on her bottom lip knowing she needed to let go of the blonde otherwise she would do something stupid and ruin their already confusing friendship.

She reluctantly released the blonde and pushed back a piece of stray hair, tucking it behind her ear shyly as she glanced up at Quinn from beneath her eyelids.

"I got you something-" Quinn exclaimed after a second, reaching in her bag and pulling out the flowers Rachel had spotted earlier.

_'So they were for me?' _She couldn't help feeling smug at the thought.

Rachel licked her lips and blushed, glancing down at the ground. She kicked the toe of her foot into the ground and couldn't think of anything to say.

"Racheeeeel-" Quinn sing-songed, kicking out her foot against Rachel's foot and clearing her throat so Rachel would lift her gaze to the blonde.

"I got you flowers because, I knew you would do so amazing." Quinn murmured shyly and took a step closer bringing the flowers up closer to Rachel's face and grinning. "They're gardenias."

_Gardenias._

She felt a light bulb go off in her head and she looked up curiously.

Someone had told Finn to get gardenias for her at prom last year.

Could it have been Quinn?

_'No way.' _Rachel shrugged the thought off quickly.

"Aww-" Rachel grinned, grabbing the flowers by the stem and bringing them to her face to smell them, "That's ironic." She muttered under her breath as she looked up at Quinn from beneath her eyelashes.

"What's ironic?" Quinn murmured, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Oh it's nothing really," Rachel sighed, shaking her head, "It's just Finn gave me these last year for prom, he got me a wrist corsage."

Quinn seemed distracted for a moment and her eyes glazed over, "Y-yeah," the blonde stammered, "how ironic." She cleared her throat and wiped off the distant look on her face and ran her fingers along Rachel's shoulder, "I'm proud of you though, Rach. You rocked it up there."

The brunette smiled and tucked a strip of hair behind her ear, "Well thank you Quinn, and thank you for coming as well it-uhm, it means a lot to me." She replied, looking up at the blonde and very slowly standing up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around the girl for the second time that night.

She just couldn't help but feel at home in Quinn's arms.

And she let out a peaceful sigh when she felt Quinn's slim arms wrap around her waist tightly.

And for that single minute, Rachel didn't even care Quinn was with Finn.

For that minute, in her head, she was with Quinn.

* * *

><p>"Where would you like to eat?" Quinn asked as they strapped themselves into the blonde's car.<p>

Rachel quickly found hold of the radio and began flicking through the stations, glancing at Quinn as she did so. "Ugh-I don't really care, I'm not starving so I would be fine with just a snack." She replied as she settled on an alternative station that was playing Ingrid Michaelson.

Satisfied with the song she leaned back into her seat and turned her head so she could stare at Quinn.

The blonde's eyes rose to the rear view mirror and she stuck her tongue out to the side as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"I have some vegan ice cream at home." The blonde answered, as she came to a stop at a red light, quickly glancing at Rachel.

"Vegan, huh?" Rachel mused, cocking one eyebrow up.

Quinn chuckled throatily and shrugged her shoulders, accelerating as she heading off in the direction of her neighborhood, "It's actually really good, so I've been keeping it in stock at the house. And my parents won't mind if you eat one of the their cartons. They're out of town, so if you spent the night they wouldn't car-"

"Woah, woah," Rachel cut into the conversation as Quinn bit down on her bottom lip, "We didn't talk about spending the night. This is quite a springer you are putting on me here, Quinn."

Quinn seemed taken back and she cleared her throat, "Oh sorry-" Her voice was lower than before, a little bit ashamed, "I just assumed you'd want to spend more time together, but I get it sorry for-"

Rachel couldn't help but letting a giggle release from her lips and the blonde stopped her rambling and her face became red, "What?"

"I was kidding, Quinn," Rachel grinned ear to ear, "of course I'll spend the night. We haven't hung out in what-a month? I've missed you."

"I've missed you too!" Quinn replied enthusiastically, but she held a disappointed look on her face, "But the reason we haven't hung out is my fault."

Rachel frowned, knitting her eyebrows together, "Why do you think that?"

Quinn snorted unamused, "Rachel, c'mon, really?" The blonde groaned turning her head towards the brunette skeptically, "Nothing has been the same between us since I went and started dating Finn. And that was a really bitchy move on my part, and I'm really sorr-"

"Let's just not talk about it okay?" Rachel interrupted, feeling her heart constrict at the mention of the two together.

Not because she was jealous of Quinn dating Finn.

Because she was jealous of Finn dating Quinn.

Quinn seemed to debate the topic for a split second before slowly nodding, "Okay, understandable. Sorry." She muttered and she closed her mouth remaining quiet.

The tension cackled between them and Rachel felt guilty for shutting the blonde up.

She had just meant she didn't want to talk about Finn, not that she didn't want to talk at all.

They pulled into Quinn's neighborhood, but Rachel vaguely noticed because, she was to busy studying the blonde.

You would think people couldn't change in a month but it was true.

Rachel was looking at living proof right at that moment.

The blonde's overall appearance had changed.

She didn't have the overwhelming sense of freedom about her anymore. Her eyes weren't shining quite as bright as they used to. Her lips weren't pulled up in the casual smile she used to have, more so just totally neutral.

And that was something that made Quinn unique.

Even if she was having a terrible day, she wasn't neutral. She wouldn't show people she was having a bad day because Quinn didn't express her feelings often.

The blonde looked more on edge than she usually did and Rachel felt the urge to grip Quinn's hand so against her will, her hand leaned across the console that separated them and she gripped Quinn's right hand that was holding the edge of the steering wheel tightly.

The blonde opened her mouth to say something but when she glanced at Rachel the words didn't come out and she closed her mouth letting a small smile appear on her face as Rachel brought the single hand into both of hers.

The blonde turned back to stare at the road as they drove towards the back of the neighborhood more towards Quinn's house.

Rachel traced her fingers along each of Quinn's. She felt the smooth underside of Quinn's fingers and the topside that had little wrinkles every few centimeters.

Even though it was a little odd, Rachel loved Quinn's fingers.

They were skinny but long.

Rachel liked to think Quinn had an artist's hands. Her palms were a little rough, and her veins were noticeable in her wrists.

She was just moving her hand further up Quinn's arms but was stopped when Quinn dropped her hand and yanked the gear shift into park.

"We're here." Quinn's voice was hoarse, and Rachel glanced up noticing Quinn's eyes were glazed darker than they usually were.

The brunette tore her eyes away from the blonde's intense gaze and looked through the windshield up at the house she felt like she hadn't been to in ages. It still looked like it used to but oddly bigger in the departing sunlight of the day.

Rachel swallowed loudly and got out of the car without warning, just barely hearing Quinn quickly move to unfasten her seat belt and get out of the car as well.

The blonde got out of the car quickly and smiled sheepishly in Rachel's direction before heading up towards the stairs that led to the front door of the house.

Rachel followed the blonde into the house quietly, shutting the door behind her and observing as Quinn shrugged off her jacket and hung it up on one of the coat racks.

The brunette followed her lead and slipped off shoes, setting them beside the door before standing straight and glancing at Quinn.

"Ice cream?" The blonde asked, one eyebrow raised.

Rachel nodded agreeing, "Ice cream!"

As they made their way into the kitchen, Rachel hated the obvious tension that hung in the room and as she sat in one of the stools beside the island in the kitchen she finally spoke her thoughts.

"Look, Quinn-" She muttered, watching as the blonde glanced over her shoulder after pulling out two bowls, "I'm sorry for what I said in the car, if you want to talk about Finn we can."

Quinn seemed confused for a second as she opened up the freezer and grabbed two cartons of the vegan ice cream, setting them down on the counter.

"He is really awkward." The blonde finally voiced after she had already scooped out two scoops of the ice cream into both bowls.

Rachel nodded, shrugging, "Agreed. He is very tall and very awkward."

The blonde brightened at the comment, "Oh my god, yes!" She exclaimed, placing the cartons back into the freezer and grabbing both bowls bringing it over to the island, "Here stand up." She commanded, setting the bowls on the counter and gripping Rachel's hands in her own and yanking the brunette to a standing position.

Rachel examined as Quinn stood up on her tiptoes and yanked the brunette forward into her.

Although Quinn was just an inch or two taller than the brunette, Rachel felt incredibly small with the blonde on her toes.

The blonde placed her head on top of Rachel's and the brunette felt like a midget.

"When we hug I feel like I'm being crushed-" The blonde grumbled, yanking Rachel tighter into her and she began to feel lightheaded because she could smell Quinn's Victoria Secret's perfume and it smelled delicious.

"And it made me start to think, a lot of people hug awkwardly!" Quinn continued on with her rant as she lowered herself down flatfooted on the ground and loosened her grip around the brunette's waist.

"But you, Rachel," Quinn murmured, pulling her head back to look at the brunette who was still hugging her, "you hug perfectly. You are like perfect size to hug!"

And then Quinn stopped talking and just hugged her and Rachel felt like she was on cloud nine.

The blonde must not have realized it but they had been hugging for a solid minute, while talking about hugging.

But Rachel wasn't going to bring it to the other girl's attention.

She just dropped her forehead to the blonde's shoulder and breathed in that delicious strawberry perfumed scent.

And after another thirty seconds she chuckled and pulled back slowly, "You do realize we are just hugging, correct?"

Okay she had lied.

She did bring it to the girl's attention.

Quinn shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips to the side, "We're just making up for lost time!" The blonde said with a wide grin, wraggling her eyebrows at the brunette.

"Oh shut up!" Rachel joked, unwrapping her arms from around the blonde's neck and shoving the girls shoulder. She quickly turned and headed back towards her bowl of ice cream.

The scent of vanilla wafted up to her nostrils and she groaned, "This smells good."

"That's because it is good." Quinn teased from behind her and she snorted, throwing a glare in the blonde's direction.

"Smart ass." Rachel muttered under her breath as she gripped the end of her spoon and got a scoop of ice cream out. She turned and glanced at Quinn, one eyebrow raised, before shoving the spoon in her mouth.

Oh shit.

It was delicious.

She couldn't contain the moan that growled from her chest at the taste.

Quinn's jaw dropped and snapped close so quickly that Rachel almost didn't notice it.

The blonde stared at her as she closed her eyes and swallowed down the dessert.

When Rachel opened her eyes she could see Quinn wasn't looking in her own eyes anymore but rather at her lips and Rachel almost felt hope rise in her chest.

Was it possible that blonde was enticed by her ice cream eating skills?

There was no way her logical side was thinking but when the blonde took a couple steps forward invading Rachel's personal space, Rachel doubted her previous thought.

Maybe Quinn's logical side was thinking and she knew exactly what she was doing.

Who knew?

Her breath turned shallow and she glanced down at the small space between their two bodies, and slowly brought her gaze north to the blonde's hazel eyes that were dark with hunger.

And no she wasn't imagining the look in the blonde's eyes. That was actually there.

Rachel stared at the blonde, caught in a trance at the gaze they were sharing and she could feel the sexual tension snapping between them like firecrackers.

She didn't even notice when Quinn's hand began to close in on her face until the blonde's thumb traced across her bottom lip.

Rachel let out a whimper, praying to God the blonde didn't hear it and she watched Quinn's face.

And in the next second everything moved quick, the blonde stuck the thumb that was on Rachel's bottom lip into her mouth and grinned before pulling it back out with an audible plop.

"You had ice cream on your bottom lip." The blonde grunted and reached behind Rachel grabbing her own bowl and turning quickly marching off in the direction of the basement, leaving Rachel frozen with lust behind her.

And Rachel was left thinking what the hell had just happened.

* * *

><p>Her eyes scanned around Quinn's room as the water began to run in the bathroom on the opposite end of the room.<p>

Rachel swallowed loudly at the thought that a naked Quinn was literally nine steps away from her.

God, it was an intriguing thought.

She couldn't help but wonder sometimes when she was laying in her bed at night, at the idea of what the blonde looked like completely naked.

She didn't care if it was perverted.

She felt bad sometimes for thinking about the blonde in that way because, that wasn't what she wanted from the blonde.

Sex wasn't the only thing she thought about when it came to the blonde.

Yes, it obviously occurred to her if she ever dated Quinn they would obviously have to be intimate at some point in time.

But it was more of a romantic relationship where they just were with each other, and that satisfied them enough. She wanted to cuddle with Quinn and kiss her on the forehead and watch sappy movies with each other. And take each other out on dates and get a puppy together and stupid things like that.

But in those moments that Rachel did think about Quinn sexually, it was pretty spectacular.

She hated to admit it because it almost disgusted her but-she had touched herself purely to the thought of being sexual with Quinn.

That was pretty spectacular too.

Rachel figured Quinn would be in excellent shape, her stomach smooth, a possible six pack on her stomach. She actually knew Quinn was muscular in the abdomen area due to the fact that there were those rare occasions when she bumped into Quinn's stomach or when Quinn made out with her and she went in for a stomach grope. But Rachel didn't know what the six pack looked like underneath those shirts enticing shirts Quinn would wear. She hoped it would not be one of those really muscular six packs, more like a six pack that Quinn would have to flex to be really noticeable. She figured Quinn's breasts were perky and round, maybe not big but big enough for one of them to fit in Rachel's hand.

Rachel also had a very big thing for backs.

She loved backs that had smooth shoulder blades and a nice curve towards the lower back. And she figured Quinn would have just that considering the blonde was well... gifted in the backside.

She always imagined Quinn with two tiny back dimples that she could roam her fingers around whenever Quinn would lay on her stomach asleep.

But by far one of Rachel's favorite things to think about when she imagined Quinn naked was the blonde's thighs.

She had never actually ran her fingers along the blonde's legs, but she knew they had to be smooth and silky. She imagined caressing the blonde's thighs whenever she was in between the blonde's legs, working the blonde up to her orgasm.

She imagined Quinn's intimate places were beautiful and glistening all the time...

And Rachel cut her thoughts off, realizing she needed to stop thinking about a naked Quinn before she soaked her underwear.

That would be an awkward conversation trying to tell Quinn she had gotten wet to the thought of her naked.

She sat up in the blonde's bed and ran her hands through her messy hair, glancing around and trying to focus on everything around the room.

And that's when a certain picture hanging up on the wall caught her eye.

She pushed herself off the bed and padded over towards the wall, narrowing her eyes as she examined the picture at a closer look.

It was of her and Quinn when they were on their way to Columbus.

The picture that Rachel looked like an idiot in.

She swallowed loudly and turned glancing at the other walls on the room and searching the walls.

The only other friends Quinn had hanging up were Santana, Brittany, and one of her cheer teams that she participated in out of school.

And it hit Rachel.

She was special enough to make Quinn's wall.

Rachel Berry had made it onto Quinn Fabray's wall.

She was a lucky bitch.

She was interrupted when the door opened and Quinn stood, a towel wrapped around her chest, her short wet blonde hair clinging to her cheeks.

Her feet moved without her permission and she was across the room in less then two seconds, trapping the blonde in a tight hug.

"Rachel-" The blonde whispered, cut off as Rachel buried her nose into the blonde's neck and just breathed in deeply.

The blonde was hesitant for a moment but she slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around the blonde's shoulders, Rachel's body holding the towel up.

Holding the towel up.

Rachel froze, realizing that if she were to step away from the blonde, the towel would drop and she would see a naked Quinn.

Oh my god, she was hugging a nearly naked, wet Quinn.

She opened her eyes and saw the smooth, juicy expansion of skin that was Quinn's neck and she could see a single drop of water slowly descending down that slide of a neck and before she could realize what she was doing she laid her tongue flat across the surface of the blonde's neck and brought it north, capturing the moisture on her tongue.

She didn't even realize what she had done until Quinn gripped her shoulders and let out a loud moan that echoed off the walls.

_"Holy shit, Rach."_

She snapped her eyes wide and felt her face flush red.

She had just licked Quinn.

She had licked her.

Friends didn't lick friends.

Friends didn't moan out each others names.

She quickly removed herself from Quinn and watched as the blonde gripped her towel to hold it in place across her body.

"Y-you-uhm-" Rachel stammered, "Y-y-you had w-water on your n-neck. S-sorry."

The blonde seemed embarrassed as well because her cheeks were red, her eyes were dark and they were filled with lust and Rachel was so turned on in that moment but she managed to clear her throat and walk past the blonde.

"The picture on t-the wall over there is of me," Rachel pointed towards the spot, and walked backwards into the bathroom, "that was w-why I hugged y-you."

She nodded and the blonde seemed overwhelmed but she shook her head and opened her mouth.

"W-well, I'm gonna take a shower! Bye Quinn!" Rachel exclaimed and slammed the door shut, cursing herself for being so stupid.

How was she going to explain this?

She glanced around the bathroom and began plotting her suicide because she was so embarrassed.

She hoped she could just stay in the bathroom until the blonde fell asleep.

She shook her head and began to strip for her shower, still feeling the need to slam her head into the nearest wall.

* * *

><p>She was in the midst of rinsing the suds of soap off her body when she spotted the letters on the glass door of the shower.<p>

The steam from the shower obviously made the words appear and she couldn't help but bending at the knees slightly to see what was written out on the door.

She felt the hot water rolling down her body as she peered closer at the words, trying to decipher what they said.

_Hey bi..._

She couldn't see what the rest of the letters said and she groaned in frustration moving down to see what the other phrase said on the door.

_I Love R._

R?

Rachel straightened up reaching for the conditioner and squeezing the lotion-like liquid out of the bottle before smoothing it into her wet hair. She set the bottle back down where it was and pondered over who R was.

As she rubbed the moisture in her hair she turned and looked at the door again, seeing that the handwriting was obviously in Quinn's messy scrawl, and the phrase above it was written in cursive with the end letters a little jumbled.

So it was obvious that two different people had written on the shower door.

Rachel was somewhat amused because she had done the same thing when she was younger on car windows when it was snowing and she could write on the windows because of the moisture that had pooled up on them. She used to draw out stupid animals and things like that, but this was obviously something Quinn found amusing to do even at the age they were.

She stepped underneath the shower head and ran her fingers through her hair, sighing as the hot water felt good on her skin and the conditioner slowly began to travel down her body and towards the drain of the shower.

She continued to think who R could be when she opened her eyes, the realization hitting her.

Rachel.

R.

Her name started with an R!

Could it be?

And then conditioner got in her eye.

"Holy shit!" She grunted, slamming her right eye shut and bringing her hand up to scrub at it and get the gunk out of her eye.

Her eye was burning and she turned and stuck her head under the shower head shutting her left eye and keeping her right eye open so she could get the conditioner out of her eye. After a few seconds of burning pain her eye felt better and she let out a content sigh.

She sniffled and finished washing the conditioner out of her hair before turning the water off.

She quickly opened the shower door, glancing one last time at the phrases written before grabbing the towel that was hung up on the wall for her and drying off her hair and body. She took her time as she ran the towel down her legs, getting the moisture off them before drying out her hair once again.

Her hair was one of the things that annoyed Rachel the most.

Her hair was thick and long and it was as if she could never get it completely dry.

Even blow drying it took at least a half an hour.

She shook her head once before wrapping the towel around her chest and tucking it tightly so it hung underneath her armpits. She made her way over to the bathroom door and opened it slowly peering out to see Quinn sitting on her bed, music playing from the radio on her bedside table.

"Hi." Quinn's voice rose as she sat up on her elbows to stare at the brunette in the doorway.

Rachel smiled shyly and leaned against the door frame, her eyes searching around the room.

Quinn seemed confused for a second before realization crossed her face, "Oh! You need clothes!"

Rachel giggled and walked into the room as Quinn sprang up from the bed and headed towards her dresser where she pulled out a pair of shorts and a long shirt. She shut the drawer and made her way over to Rachel, gently handing the clothes over to Rachel's open hands.

Rachel watched Quinn as the blonde's eyes started at her legs and slowly traced up the brunette's body until her hazel eyes landed on Rachel's face.

Quinn immediately blushed, embarrassed to be caught checking her out.

Rachel bit on her bottom lip and slowly turned back towards the bathroom door. When she stepped into the frame of the door, she glanced over her shoulder to see Quinn watching her and she smiled, before she opened her mouth to get the blonde's attention.

"Whose R?"

"Huh?" The blonde muttered unintelligibly, raising her head and cocking one eyebrow up.

"On the door of the shower," Rachel muttered, pointing her thumb towards the shower, "there was stuff written on there, one said something similar to 'Hey Bitch' and the other was 'I love R' and I was wondering what they were."

The blonde immediately blushed before dropping her head.

Quinn looked to be trying to figure out something to say before raising her head and smiling, "The 'Hey Bitch' was Santana, and the 'I love R' that's uhm-that's something I called Puck as a nickname." The blonde murmured not sounding that convincing.

"Oh," Rachel muttered flatly, "what was it?"

"What was what?" Quinn replied, bringing her arm up and rubbing the back of her neck.

"What was his nickname?" Rachel pressed.

"Oh, uhm," The blonde licked her lips, "Uhm-it was Ra-ro-rat. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was Rat. You know for the mow hawk on his head I used to tell him it was a rat."

Rachel stared the blonde for a beat longer before shrugging and turning towards the bathroom.

"If you say so Quinn." She sing-songed before slamming the door shut.

* * *

><p>After she had finished putting on Quinn's pajamas she took a brief moment to examine herself in the mirror.<p>

She'd never admit it out loud but she wanted to look good for Quinn at all possible times.

It was intimidating standing next to someone as beautiful as Quinn when Rachel thought she looked like a giant potato. She always wanted to look good next to Quinn, even if there was no around. Maybe it was just because, she wanted Quinn to like her so bad that she tried so hard to look good even though they were just going to sleep.

Rachel examined herself thoroughly one more time before sighing and turning to face the wooden door that distanced herself from the blonde.

She inhaled a shaky, but calming breath before wrapping her hand around the knob and twisting it, pulling the door open and allowing Rachel to step into the bedroom.

The room was dark unlike before, and Rachel had to pause for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the sudden darkness.

She took a cautious step into the bedroom and shut the bathroom door behind her. When she heard the lock click shut, she faced forward and narrowed her eyes, trying to find the blonde in the darkness. "Quinn, are you asleep?" She husked out into the darkness, holding her hands out stupidly trying to grip something that she was familiar with.

"Over here Rach." Quinn's reply was hushed and sounded as if the blonde were laying down on the bed.

Rachel chewed down on her bottom lip and slowly her hands felt the material of the blonde's blanket and she sighed, climbing up and immediately falling on top of the girl's lithe body.

"Oh god!" Rachel announced embarrassed, "Sorry, sorry." She mumbled incoherently rolling over onto her back beside the blonde and trying to hide her face even though it was nearly impossible to see in the dark room.

She could hear the girl's chuckle beside her and she relaxed into the bed more, curling her head into the warmth of the pillow and turning to the sound of the giggling blonde beside her.

"Don't worry about it, Rach." Quinn's voice was low but not low enough to be considered a whisper. "How was your shower?"

Rachel let out a snort at the odd question and curled to the blonde slightly, wanting to be closer to the girl but not so close it was uncomfortable. "It was a shower."

She felt the bed shift and she narrowed her eyes, noticing that the blonde had turned on her side as well and her hazel orbs were piercing into her brown ones through the darkness.

"Well that's pretty fun," Quinn muttered dryly, pausing for a beat, "are you tired?"

The brunette shrugged. "Not really." She replied earnestly.

"Me either..." The blonde drawled out, letting the sentence float in the air between them.

Rachel didn't bother to give a reply so she just shut her eyes listening to the sound of the house creaking around them, the bed shifting every few seconds when one of the girls shifted. She listened to the vibrant sound of Quinn inhaling and exhaling. Even though there was obvious tension between the two girls, Rachel felt oddly at peace. She felt like the little quarrel they were secretly having with each other had evaporated into a truce... For now.

She blinked open her eyes and nearly gasped when she found Quinn examining her face closely, her eyes piercing into hers.

The blonde had her lips pursed out and an unreadable expression on her face, an expression that made Rachel want to shrink into a tiny ball of insecurity.

"May I help you?" Rachel chuckled awkwardly, licking her lips nervously.

The blonde didn't answer straight away and the silence made her feel more awkward.

She swallowed loudly and ducked her head trying to avoid the blonde's intense gaze.

After another moment of silence the blonde finally sighed and pushed herself up to a sitting position. Rachel watched the blonde as the girl brought the blanket up to her knees before leaning back against the headboard of the bed. She was almost to busy watching the blonde that she almost failed to notice the blonde tugging at her hands gently.

But when Quinn whispered out her name she complied immediately scooting further up the bed and laying her head down on the blonde's thighs.

It wasn't an ideal position of comfort but Rachel figured she could manage when she heard the blonde sigh, "This feels right."

She didn't know if she was meant to hear the little sigh of contentment but she didn't care as she wrapped her hands around the backs of the blonde's knees and cuddled in. She even let out a squeak of surprise when the blonde's fingers traveled down to her hair and began stroking it softly. After the initial shock of the blonde's cold fingers was over, she sighed completely relaxed, just reveling in the feeling.

"How have you been Rachel?" Quinn's voice whispered into the quiet room a few minutes after they had switched positions on the bed.

Rachel's eyes cracked open and she couldn't help but shrugging. "I've been pretty good," She said, not exactly telling the whole truth but that wasn't something that Quinn needed to know.

The blonde let out a disbelieving chuckle at the comment, "Oh Rachel, Rachel." The blonde said in a disapproving voice. "You would think by now I'd know you better than that." The blonde mused, and Rachel could feel her tense up before sighing. "Now really, how have you been?"

There was no longer a hint of teasing in the blonde's voice and Rachel figured she couldn't fool the blonde so she groaned.

"Things have sucked lately." She admitted quietly, running her fingers along the side of Quinn's smooth knee.

"Yeah?" Quinn pressed. "How so?"

_Oh you know, I've just been crying over you for the past month or so. I've been murdering Finn in my head several times whenever he gropes you in public. I've been pouring my heart out to a picture of Barbara Streisand hoping she'll help me out someday in winning you over. I've been annoying Kurt with my endless amount of texts and phone calls sobbing over you. And to top it off, I basically have had no life since we stopped hanging out. The complete normal stuff, Quinn._

"School has just been really stressing me out lately."

"Awh, Rach." Quinn's voice was sympathetic, "I'm sorry, love. School does start to get a little hard this time of year, especially as a senior. Has anything else been stressing you out?"

Rachel shrugged, focusing more on the little freckles the blonde had right along her knee than the actual conversation, "Not really."

She could feel the blonde nod above her and she glanced behind her to see the girl staring at the wall, a skeptical expression on her face.

"How have you been Quinn?" Rachel returned the question, genuinely curious as to how the girl had been compared to herself.

Quinn seemed to ponder the question a minute or so before answering. "I've been alright. Finn's been harassing me to go to second base with him-" The blonde paused at the way the brunette tensed up on top of her legs and she bent over to examine the brunette's face that appeared to be red in the darkness.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked, concern flooding her hazel gaze.

"Fine." The brunette muttered through gritted teeth, waving her fingers for the blonde to continue.

Quinn hesitated for a brief period before continuing on with what she had been saying, "Yeah, so Finn's been a little annoying. Mom and Dad are harassing me about college as well and I have absolutely no clue what to tell them. Santana and Brittany are still making out with each other all the time, and they think I don't know about it when in fact I do." The blonde gritted her teeth before continuing, her hands beginning to rub a little harder on Rachel's hair. "And to top it off I went to a party at one of Finn's friends house last week and Puck was there completely drunk and all of the guys were hounding me to smoke pot with them and I kept refusing but it was so much peer pressure and I didn't even want to be there and Finn kind of just went along with all the guys. And then they were asking me all these questions about masturbation and dipping, and I don't even know what that stuff is!"

Rachel froze at the use of the word masturbation.

Was Quinn being serious?

She didn't know what masturbation was?

Well Rachel didn't know what dipping was but she figured Quinn would at least know the basics of masturbation and all that involved intimate time with one self.

"You don't know what masturbation is?" Rachel giggled out rolling over onto her back, causing the blonde to stop her movements in the girls hair.

Quinn seemed embarrassed at the statement and her eyebrows shot up, "I told the boys I did, but n-no I actually don't know what it is."

Rachel did an upside smile and chuckled, "Okay how about this," She propositioned, "You tell me what dipping is and I will tell you what masturbation is and we will promise not to laugh at each other. Deal?"

The blonde opened her eyes in disbelief. "You don't know what dipping is?"

Out of all of that, that was all the blonde managed to catch out of it?

Typical Quinn.

"Do we have a deal or not Quinn?" Rachel asked exasperated.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The blonde replied shortly and sat forward, staring down at the brunette that was settling back into her lap. "Dipping is basically chewing tobacco, you know the stuff old guys have in their mouth and they spit out. That's what dipping is."

Chewing tobacco?

"Oh, that stuff. You could have just said that!" Rachel grunted, rolling her eyes.

Quinn shrugged, pursing her lips to the side, "That's what the kids are calling it these days."

Rachel couldn't help but chuckling at the blonde's comment and she crossed her arms over her chest at the adorable blonde above her.

God, she had missed this.

"What's masturbation?"

Well, that certainly brought the brunette back into reality.

"Oh yeah, that." Rachel mused, shutting her eyes embarrassed at having to explain. "Masturbation is what girls and guys do when they want to be intimate with themselves. Like a term boys use is 'jacking off', do you know what I mean?"

Quinn's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, _"Oh!" _She cried out in realization. "You mean fucking yourself? Santana told me about that years ago!"

But Rachel had lost interest in whatever Quinn was saying after she had said _fucking yourself._

The fact of the matter someone so innocent and beautiful like Quinn could use fucking and yourself in the same sentence was unbelievably one of the hottest things that had ever graced Rachel's ears and she could barely contain the shivers that ran down the back of the neck to the very center of her core.

Rachel shook her head and noticed Quinn had one eyebrow cocked and a confused smile on her face, and Rachel swallowed, trying to clear her dry mouth. "Yeah, _that._"

After that, the conversation came to a halt and the girls were both awkwardly shifting around, trying to think of something to say before they started talking about masturbation and drugs again.

"So Finn's been treating you good, other than the whole-" Rachel attempted to not grit her teeth but her face was held in a straight line as she grunted out the next words, "I want to get to second base thing?"

Quinn chuckled and ran a hand through her hair before reaching for Rachel's hands and cupping them in her own. The blonde didn't say anything and it worried Rachel and she thought the boy might have done something but after she stroked the brunette's hands a few times she finally replied.

"He's been a good boyfriend," She admitted, "but I don't know if I'm in love with him the way I was with Puck..."

Rachel swallowed loudly and her jaw tightened at the mention of the other boy.

She couldn't help but thinking how much easier everything would be if Quinn Fabray was just a lesbian.

"That's understandable." She cleared her throat and sighed as the blonde ran two fingers along her thumb. "Do yo-uhm, you think you love Finn?" She forced out the sentence, hesitant on hearing the reply.

The blonde puckered her lips and frowned. "Do you think you loved Finn?"

"I asked you first." Rachel immediately retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, but I asked you second." The blonde shot back just as stubbornly, pinching on the brunette's finger to prove her point.

Rachel bit on the inside of her cheek and gave up with a defeated groan. "Honestly, the last time we had this conversation a while back, I thought I did love him. But now-" _With me being irrevocably in love with you and everything, _"I don't think I am. I think I was more in love with the _idea_ of him rather than him. I mean, yes, we did have some very memorable times together and even though I can say I hate him, I never will actually hate him. He's a good guy and he's been a great friend to me ever since the break up. But was I in love with him? No I don't think so." She finished with a mere shrug rolling off her shoulders.

Quinn seemed to be processing what Rachel had just said and the blonde paused glancing down, halting her fingers that were tracing Rachel's pinky.

"Do you think you've ever been in love? With anybody?"

Suddenly the tension in the room got larger and tighter.

Rachel felt Quinn basically shooting her with lasers the way she was looking at her and she wanted to bolt purely from the gaze Quinn was giving her.

And then she felt a burst of confidence float up through her like a balloon and she swallowed her pride and tilted her chin up.

"Yes, I have been in love. And I'm in love with someone right now." She confessed.

Quinn's eyes widened and she squeezed Rachel's hands in her own unintentionally.

"What?" The blonde exclaimed. "Who, who, who, who?"

_You._

"He goes to Carmel." She lied, a smirk placed on her lips.

"Jesse?" Quinn immediately darkened when she said the boy's name.

Rachel grimaced, "No."

"Who?" Quinn continued, clenching the brunette's hand.

"All in good time, Quinn." Rachel cooed, raising her eyebrows up mischievously and dropping her head back down to the blonde's lap, shutting her eyes.

She smiled smugly when the blonde grunted from above her, and she felt a sense of victory wash over her.

They went back to their silent serenity with Quinn gently stroking Rachel's fingers while Rachel breathed in and out deeply. She didn't have any clue as to what time it was but she couldn't care with the way the blonde hummed above her, an unfamiliar tune. And even though she didn't know what the song was, it was very relaxing and she couldn't help but exhaling loudly, grinning when the blonde chuckled above her.

"Whose your best friend Rachel?" The blonde muttered after at least ten minutes of silence.

"You." She muttered without hesitation, her eyes still shut.

She faintly heard the catch in Quinn's breath before the blonde started breathing normally again.

She figured the blonde had liked her answer because she began stroking her fingers softer and moving her right hand back up to her hair and pushing her bangs out of her face, making sure she was delicately running her fingers along the strands of brown hair.

"Before me," Quinn started, "did you and your best friends ever do anything you'd be embarrassed to tell other people?"

Rachel gnawed on the question and she blinked open her eyes to find Quinn staring at her shyly.

"Explain?"

Quinn blushed and dropped her head, her hair falling to cover her face. "I mean, you know how girls are naturally close and all, did you ever like sit in intimate positions with any of your girlfriends?"

Rachel raised one eyebrow and puckered her lips out, shaking her head faintly.

"Did you?"

Quinn grimaced at the question and she nodded ashamed.

"Quinn, that's nothing to be ashamed about, exploring with the same sex is completely nor-"

"Don't say normal!" Quinn quickly intervened removing her hands from Rachel and gripping onto the mattress beneath them. "It's not normal to sit with your best friend in sexual positions. Because, that's what I used to do with Santana, and I had to tell someone. You because, you seem ga-" The blonde cut off and her eyes widened, and she coughed loudly trying to cover up what she had said, but Rachel was to busy with her thoughts to notice.

Her thoughts were racing of Santana and Quinn in... Compromising positions.

"Because your dads are gay. So yeah, Santana and I a few years back when we had boyfriends, we used to like straddle each other and try and turn each other on-I mean, we-uhm we pretended we were each others boyfriends and we would sit in positions so we could turn each other on." The blonde sputtered, her face red. "Does that make sense?"

Rachel took all the information in and she seemed to be pondering over it but in fact all she could picture was a naked Quinn straddling a naked Santana and the image was very intriguing.

"It makes sense." Rachel finally voiced. "I don't think there is anything wrong with it."

Quinn seemed to be relieved with that answer because she let out a large breath she had been holding and she had a smile tugging on the corner of her lips.

"Good-good." She murmured, relaxing back into the headboard and dropping her hands back down to Rachel's hair.

They didn't say anything, and it was quiet once again.

Until Quinn moved her hands and gripped both of Rachel's breasts in her hand and bent down in towards Rachel's ear, her voice husky as she whispered, "Does this turn you on?"

Rachel tensed and she looked up to see a lustful look in Quinn's hazel eyes and the blonde gently squeezed her breasts and she couldn't help but letting out a soft whimper at the touch.

And then Quinn was laughing, slapping her hand to her chest, a wide-eyed, crazed look in her eye.

"Oh my god! You should have seen your face!" She howled with laughter and Rachel felt her ears begin to boil from being embarrassed. "And that sound you made? Oh god, priceless. I should have recorded that."

At that point, Rachel figured she'd be getting no sleep because she could still feel Quinn Fabray's beautiful hands on her breasts.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: **

"Hello there! Whats cooking, good looking?" An enthusiastic voice rose up from behind her, so cheery and loud that Rachel almost dropped her books that she was holding from taking out of her locker.

The voice didn't belong to who she wished it to belong to and she couldn't help but be thoroughly disappointed.

It was a known fact to Rachel's closer group of friends that after West Side Story had ended, she had expected Quinn to come running back into her life, eager to start up the friendship that had crumbled whenever the blonde had gotten together with Frankenstein Finn.

But when reality hadn't exceeded her expectations, she managed to put on a happy show face for said friends, and pretend like everything was fine.

She was somewhat happy the blonde and herself hadn't gone back to their previous terms of friendship where they didn't speak to each other at all.

In fact, every few days Quinn would ditch her seat next to Finn in Glee Club and take residence of a chair that was sitting by Rachel. Although Rachel's insides were shooting off like fireworks whenever Quinn did this, Quinn seemed totally nonchalant about the situation and would sit down, turn to Rachel, and smile at her like she was the only living soul in the whole entire choir room.

If neither of them were singing, they'd sit and talk on the last row of the seats, acting like nothing had ever occurred between them.

Some days Quinn would sit and complain about Finn, her face pulled together tightly in frustration and sadness. Others she would be telling Rachel about what her father was preaching to her lately about adultery. Or her mom scolding her for not knowing what she was going to do for college, or what college she even wanted to go to for that matter. And then some days, Rachel's favorite days, is when Quinn wouldn't have anything to complain about and she looked content. She looked genuinely happy just to be sitting beside the brunette. She'd let her hands drift into Rachel's lap, and the first time she did it Rachel froze from the contact of the girls hand so close to her... private areas. Quinn had noticed Rachel's deep blush and had giggled at the sight before telling Rachel she could hold her hand... If she wanted.

_If _she wanted.

Rachel immediately took the blonde up on her offer and whenever Quinn would do this, Rachel would hold the blonde's hand in both of hers and stroke those delicate fingers until the bell rang, dismissing all classes.

But in that hour and a half when Quinn would occasionally set her hand in Rachel's lap, Rachel would feel like she was flying and like she had the world at her feet.

Those were Rachel's favorite days.

Other than when Quinn would sit by Rachel every few days in Glee, they didn't do much talking outside of the choir room.

They wouldn't completely ignore each other though either. But they weren't exactly best friend material that they used to be.

If they did talk out of the choir room it was for brief periods of time when Quinn had a question about some sentence in their joint language class. Or when Quinn would text her and they would have one of the most boring conversations in the history of the world.

And then Rachel would get upset because, she would think back to the times when Quinn and her had such interesting texting conversations.

If she could go back to the previous months, she wouldn't regret any amount of time spent with Quinn. She'd cherish it because, she knew what would happen in the future.

"Hey, Berry, I was uhm-I was trying to give you a compliment." Noah Puckerman mumbled, stepping into Rachel's line of vision.

She zeroed in on the boy who stood in front of her and she cocked one eyebrow up, the first thought flying to her head being, _'Why the hell is Noah Puckerman talking to me?'_, and the second was looking over his sultry figure. Noah was a cute enough boy, if she was attracted to boys. He had an impressive jawline, with the tiniest hint of five o'clock shadow. He had plump lips that were always turned upwards in his signature _'get in my pants' _smirk. His eyes were dark and even though it wasn't exactly her thing, the mow hawk was one of those trade Puck qualities. If he ever shaved it off like he did for a short period back in Sophomore year it would be the next World War. But this year instead of letting the mow hawk do whatever it please, the boy was styling it to be spiked up so it held a much more attractive appearance.

"_Oh."_ She muttered, narrowing her eyes together and letting out a hushed chuckle. "Sorry and sorry if this comes out rude," She mumbled, pushing her bangs behind her ear shyly, "but why are you talking to me?"

Noah flashed a wide grin, before shrugging. "Why not? I figured since it's nearing the end of the school year, and you're hot and I'm hot, that the two of us together would be like the sun." His tone was suggestive and to clear his point, he wriggled his eyebrows.

Rachel felt a sharp retort rising up her throat, but she managed to push it down and roll her eyes before trying to push her way past the boy, but failing to do so when he straightened his arms out beside her head and trapped her in between the locker and himself.

"Look, Noah-" She whispered, flustered at having the boy so close in proximity, "while I must admit you are very attractive and the fact that you are rebellious is kind of a turn on, I'm really not interested. As a matter of fact, I'm very interested in someone else." She started to duck underneath the boys arm but he trapped her once again by moving quickly.

"Baby," She cringed at the endearing term, not liking the way it rolled off the boys tongue, "one date? My mom would love it if I dated a hot Jewish lady like yourself, and who knows maybe we can both experience some fine pleasure along the way."

And he went off with the wriggling of the eyebrows again.

Rachel felt the urge to knee the boy where he breathed from, but she managed to resist.

Just as she was beginning to zone out from whatever the boy was saying, a wave of blonde hair caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She didn't even have to fully look to know it was Quinn, just the fact that her stomach erupted in fireworks was enough to make her know Quinn was approaching and fast.

"Look," She spoke up dismissively, "as much as I really didn't enjoy this conversation, I have to go."

She didn't exactly know how the blonde felt about the boy a few inches away from her face, but she figured even if the blonde said she was totally over Noah Puckerman, she wasn't telling the full truth. Rachel knew Quinn better than that. She knew Quinn still harbored some amount of feelings for the boy and she wasn't ready for the blonde to be pissed off at her over some stupid boy.

She didn't even like boys.

She was a lesbian, for Christ sakes!

Noah seemed frustrated that Rachel wasn't falling for his obvious flirting and as the brunette tried to slide past him once more, he gripped her shoulders and stopped her, giving her a weak smile.

"Look, I know I used to throw slushies at you and everything, but I'd really like to get to know you. It doesn't have to be a date, it can just be a mere get together of friends." Noah insisted, a pleading look in his dark eyes.

Rachel frantically glanced down the hallway to see Quinn had stopped to talk to Brittany and Santana who were leaning up against a locker, pinkies intertwined.

She had just about a minute until the blonde would come walking down towards their side of the hallway, in search for Finn who was waiting by the blonde's locker.

"Noah, I'm _really _not interested." She enunciated with a glare, making one last attempt to push past the boy.

And without faltering, Noah stopped her by sidestepping in front of her. "Please, Rachel? Please?"

She was definitely going to regret this decision later, but she knew she had no other choice but to accept the boys offer, otherwise she'd be left having to explain to a very angry Quinn why she was talking to her ex-boyfriend.

So without thinking, she quickly gripped the boy's wrist and brought his hand towards her. With her free hand she pulled a pen out from her binder and quickly scribbled down her cellphone number.

The boy blinked confused, pulling his hand closer to his face to examine it. "Your number?"

"Yes-" She hissed, seeing Quinn making her way back down the hallway towards them, "look, that's not a yes to the date, just a yes to I'll talk to you tonight. Okay?"

She looked at Noah for a minute longer who seemed to be debating over what had just occurred but seeing he probably wasn't going to get anywhere, he slowly nodded and brought his gaze up to meet Rachel's.

"I'll text you tonight." He stated. "And you better answer."

Rachel was already turning on her heel, making her way from the boy so Quinn wouldn't see her with him. But hearing the boys comment she cast a flirty glance over her shoulder and winked, "I'll think about it!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hey gorgeous. ;)<strong>_

_This is Noah, I presume? _

_**Yup sorry. **_

_Okay, well... I know we had a brief conversation earlier but may I ask why you are all of the sudden taking an interest in talking to me? _

_**You came to me in a dream.**_

_Did I now? _

_**Yup you did. You told me I needed to get into your pants.**_

_Well that was most certainly a dream. I would never encourage you to "get in my pants" - I'm a firm believer of waiting until you find the right person until you participate in intimate activities._

_**Ummmm yeah sure. Whatever you say. But yeah so I decided to talk to you. And my mom would like if I started gettin with a Jewish girl. Your Jewish right? **_

_You're Noah. You're... And yes I am Jewish but that is a really insane reason to want to date someone. Just because your mom wants you to date a girl of the same ethnicity. _

_**Well okay. So what do you say to a date? **_

_No._

_**Ouch crushing my ego a little bit here Berry. Why not? **_

_Because I don't harbor any feelings towards you. And my name is Rachel.  
><em>

_**Sorry Rachel. But so? Maybe you could get to grow feelings for me.**_

_That's extremely doubtful. We have nothing in common._

_**We have got glee. **_

_Other than Glee, we have nothing in common._

_**Well you dont know that for sure.**_

_I suppose I don't, but I'm really not interested. I'm sorry._

_**Please one date?**_

_Noah, I'm sorry but I already like someone else. _

_**Finn?**_

_Not that it's any of your business - but no._

_**Fine but I think you are making a mistake. Im actually a pretty chill guy once you get to know me.**_

_I don't doubt that you are. I'm just not interested, sorry._

_**Fine... How about like a get together between friends? **_

_We're not friends. _

_**We could become friends.**_

_Are you going to keep hitting on me until I say yes? _

_**Yup.**_

_You are extremely agitating. _

_**My mom says that alot. **_

_Fine, I'll go out with you once. But it's just as acquaintances trying to get to know each other better. And you will not tell anyone we are going out on this little get together. _

_**Why does it matter who knows?**_

_It doesn't. It's just, you're Quinn's ex._

_**So?**_

_And I'm Quinn's friend and it's not really the respectful thing to do to go out with you. _

_**She needs to get over me.**_

_She is! Look - my point is don't tell anyone, okay?_

_**Okay I guess I can do that. **_

_Good. What time? _

_**Well I dont have a car. So, how about I pick you up at your house around six thirty tomorrow and we can walk to Breadstix? **_

_That's a ten minute walk, Noah._

_**We can get to know each other on the way there.**_

_I suppose so. That sounds fine to me. _

_**So tomorrow six thirty?**_

_That's fine._

_**Okay Rachel. Your not going to regret this. ;)**_

_Whatever you say, Noah. I'll see you tomorrow._

_**Bye. :)**_

* * *

><p>She looks stunning.<p>

Not to say she doesn't look absolutely breathtaking every other day, but on this particular day, Rachel's legs felt like they weighed tons because she couldn't move them for the life of her, purely just because, she felt like it would be a sin to be in the same room as the beauty that was Quinn Fabray twenty feet in front of her.

The blonde had on a white flowing dress that was cut right above her knees. A brown belt was wrapped right beneath her chest and it accentuated the glorious curves she had. Her hair hung right at the edge of her shoulders and Rachel couldn't help but noticing that she liked the blonde's hair cropped short. She looked more innocent, more cute.

She swallowed loudly and glanced around the choir room, finding it odd how Quinn was there so early when she never arrived early.

The only other people in the choir room were Kurt and Mercedes who were sitting in the back row.

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat and turned slightly to glance at the clock.

She had about two minutes before the bell would ring and the rest of the Glee kids would come rushing in.

Including Noah.

She knew the boy had promised not to say anything, but she didn't really trust the boy on that level quite yet, so she figured it would be best to tell the blonde herself she would be going on a date, rather the girl hear it from some random kid in the hallway.

She gave herself a mini pep talk as she slowly made the trek to where the blonde was seated, one muscular thigh crossed over the other.

As she approached the blonde, she caught Kurt's knowing gaze on the back row and the boy gave her a quick thumbs up before returning back to his conversation he was having with Mercedes.

Rachel couldn't help but rolling her eyes an amusement at the boys obvious support. If there was anyone in the whole entire world that wanted Quinn and her to be together more than she did, it was Kurt. And that was saying quite a lot.

Just as she was about to grab the blonde's attention, Quinn turned her head and met Rachel's gaze and she melted right on the spot.

Even with a simple look Quinn had Rachel in a big puddle of goo at her feet.

"Hey Rachel." Quinn breathed in her husky, angelic voice.

Quinn's lips pulled up at the corners gently and Rachel felt her hands become clammy, purely at the look the blonde was giving her. She felt heat rise to her cheeks and she ducked her head shyly, her skirt swaying with her movement.

"Quinn," She murmured back, finding it odd that they were talking so quietly, "may I?" She gestured towards the chair that sat beside the blonde.

The blonde's gaze dropped from the girl to the chair beside her and she smirked, nodding once and Rachel quickly let out the breath she had been holding and slowly descended into the chair.

Her heart sped up a fraction of a second when the blonde subtly turned towards her, those silky legs revealing more enticing pale skin.

She dropped her gaze to those silky thighs and felt the urge to lick a path straight from the top of the girl's knees to that beautiful spot in between her legs. She couldn't help but swallowing loudly as she traced her gaze back up to the blonde's hazel eyes, only to be caught obviously gawking. Quinn had a smug smirk on her face and Rachel immediately blushed even further than she already was and she gripped the edge of her sweet, trying to remember what she had wanted to talk about to the blonde in the first place. In her haste to try and not make a fool of herself by sitting down quickly she had all but forgotten what she had wanted to say to the girl in front of her.

But when a snicker caused her to turn her head to the sound, her eyes landed on the lustful gaze of Noah Puckerman, and her brain registered what she had forgotten.

Noah wriggled his eyebrows and winked at the brunette before climbing the steps to the back row, to take his place in his normal spot in the back corner of the room.

His snicker though, didn't just divert her attention, it happened to divert Quinn's as well, and when the brunette turned back to face her, the blonde was giving her an unamused look.

Rachel swallowed for what felt like the eighth time that day and she dropped her gaze when the blonde voiced her thoughts.

"What was that all about?"

She could almost feel a hand slapping her in the face for having agreed to go out with Noah, but when she looked up Quinn still had the same slightly angry but skeptical look in her eyes.

Rachel shut her eyes, feeling a bit more confident knowing that the blonde didn't seem totally pissed off yet and she opened her mouth preparing to inform the blonde of her date with Noah when Finn waltzed up, attempting to look hot but failing when he nearly stumbled into his seat beside Quinn.

Quinn held Rachel's gaze longer than necessary, and Rachel could have sworn she saw a trace of jealousy flashing in those hazel orbs, but she couldn't be sure when the blonde shut her eyes and turned towards her boyfriend.

"Hey Finn." Her voice had a fake cheery sound to it and Rachel averted her gaze when the blonde leaned forward to give the boy a chaste kiss on the lips.

It was hard enough knowing the pair were dating, but seeing it was a totally different experience.

She heard Finn mumble some reply and Rachel nearly groaned at the action.

She hated when Finn mumbled.

He used to do it all the time when they were dating and it annoyed her to no end.

"Hey Rachel." Finn acknowledged the brunette.

Rachel lifted her gaze to the boys and saw he had a polite, but not forced, smile on his face.

She gave him a quick nod of her head and she shut her eyes when he leaned in to kiss Quinn's forehead.

The blonde let out a sigh, although Rachel couldn't tell if it was a sigh of contentment or a sigh of annoyance, before turning back to face Rachel, shrugging the boys hand off her shoulder and instead gripping his hand in her right one and dropping it between them.

Rachel couldn't help but feeling a little relieved at the action.

At least she didn't have to have the fact that the two were dating right in her face when she talked to the blonde.

The pair holding hands out of sight was much better than having Finn wrap a protective arm around the girl she loved.

"The thing with Puck," Quinn cocked her head in the rebellious boys direction, "what's up with him?"

Rachel glanced up at the boy in the back row to see he was staring intently at the ground, probably lost in his own thoughts. She turned back to Quinn and gave a small, but apologetic smile.

"He asked me out." She said in a rush, feeling guilty for actually doing what she had done.

Quinn's facade didn't falter whatsoever other than the fact that her left eyebrow knitted closer together with her right. "What?" And her voice. It sounded a tad bit angrier than earlier.

Rachel swallowed and repeated the sentence, preparing for a slap in the face.

"Oh." Was all the blonde said at first.

She seemed to be having some mental war going on in her head because she quickly became distracted.

"What'd you say?" The blonde finally muttered after a moment.

"Well I-ugh," Rachel stammered, bringing her hand up to push her hair behind her ears, "I told him that I was interested in someone else. Then he asked if we could go out as a friends, and I guessed that wasn't such a bad idea so I said yes to a get together be friends.. And I guess, I just wanted you to know so you heard it from me and not someone else. I didn't want you to get the wrong impression because, I don't like him whatsoever Quinn."

Quinn seemed to process what the brunette had told her and Rachel could see the blonde tensing up, her facial expression slowly turning into one of her scary Quinn faces.

"Well, that's fine. I don't have feelings for Puckerman anymore because, I love Finn." At the mention of his name the boy turned and cocked his eyebrows up into a confused expression.

"Huh?" He muttered and Quinn quickly turned to him, showing him her angry face and the boy's lips formed an "o" and he quickly turned away, trying to avert any confrontation with his girlfriends alter ego of scary Quinn.

But Rachel barely noticed the interaction because she was to focused on repeating the girls words in her head.

_I love Finn._

What the hell? Two weeks ago the blonde was saying she didn't know if she loved Finn like she loved Noah. The blonde was saying she didn't even know if she loved Finn!

She knitted her eyebrows together and stared angrily at the blonde. "You-you love him?"

Indecision flared in the blonde's fiery gaze and Rachel almost called the girl out on it but thought against it when the blonde nodded. "Yes. Yes I do."

Rachel felt anger boil up inside her and she suddenly didn't feel so guilty about agreeing to go out with Noah anymore.

The blonde had no right to be pissed off at her for going out with her ex when she was basically flaunting how much she loved Finn right in front of her. Granted, she wasn't as angry with the fact that Quinn was going out with her ex, but more angry with the fact that she was saying she loved him right in front of her when two weeks before she was saying she didn't even think she loved him.

But even that was a lie.

She knew the real reason she was angry was because, Quinn had admitted she loved someone.

Someone that wasn't _her._

At least she could move on. Get over the fact that Quinn would never love her.

And she was lying to herself even then.

She knew as soon as school got over she'd go home and cry until Noah came and picked her up. She knew she would be a wreck for the next few weeks until they graduated purely because she'd have to endure seeing Quinn being so in love with Finn every day during the school week.

"Okay then," Rachel grunted, immediately straightening and ignoring the way Quinn's eyes widened every so slightly, "well I guess I'll go out with him. And just so I can clarify this again Quinn-" She said the blonde's name a tad harsher than she intended but she couldn't care in that moment because, she was just so riled up. "I have no feelings, nor will I ever have feelings for Noah because, I can assure you I'm a trustworthy friend and wouldn't date one of your ex boyfriends that you loved for quite some time." Her voice hushed down during the last part because she knew the blonde would just get more pissed off at her if she announced to the entire choir room that she had loved and pawned over Noah for quite a while. And she tried to ignore the fact that Quinn's face pulled down into a guilty frown. She couldn't feel bad, not right then. "And another thing how could I like Noah when I'm in love with someone else? I guess it doesn't matter because this person obviously can't get a _fucking_ clue to what is right in front of their face. Either they know exactly what's going on and won't admit it to me or them self, or they are just so _fucking_ oblivious to the hints I've been dropping for months now. But none of this matters because, I _fucking_ love them and not some stupid boy that just wants to get in my pants."

She finished, her face red and she noticed she had directed Kurt's attention to her because she could feel the boys gaze on her face.

The blonde sat across from her wide eyed and shell shocked. She was probably shocked by the fact that Rachel had used the word fucking a matter of three times in one speech, which a cuss word coming from Rachel Berry's mouth was rare. Or shocked that the brunette had exploded on her, when that had never happened in the period of their friendship.

Rachel was already starting to feel guilty for going off on the girl, but she couldn't take back what she said so she stood up and smoothed down her skirt, forcing down the tears that threatened to expose themselves.

She had cried to much in front of the girl and she wasn't about to start again.

She mumbled a quick sorry before turning on her heel and heading up the steps to where Kurt sat, waiting to pull her into his arms.

* * *

><p>"Hey, before we go out and have a date-"<p>

"Noah, it's a get together between acquaintances. Not a date."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. I just wanted to apologize for how shitty I was to you last year. Like throwing slushies at you and stuff. That was a pretty dick move and I feel bad for doing it." Noah muttered, as he shoved his hands in his jean pockets while glancing at Rachel out of the corner of his eye.

The boy had arrived at Rachel's house at exactly six thirty, which had the brunette in a state of shock for a minute before she said a quick goodbye to her fathers then walked out into the darkening night sky with the boy. For the first few minutes the pair hadn't said anything, until Noah tried to clear the air.

"Oh," Rachel blurted, licking her lips and glancing up at the boy who was looking up at the sky, "hey, it's okay. Thanks for apologizing though. It does certainly mean a lot. I don't receive very many apologies." She shrugged and stared down at the cement sidewalk, occasionally glancing at the boys boot-clad feet that were kicking against the ground every few steps.

"No problem." He mumbled.

And then the conversation came to a direct halt once again and Rachel was left wishing she had just said no to the idea of the two of them going out.

She hated awkward situations.

And she could practically taste the awkward tension in the air.

They arrived at Breadstix a few minutes later and as Rachel reached out to open the door, the boy jumped in front of her clumsily and grabbed the handle.

She couldn't help but let out a chuckle when Noah smirked at her.

The boy was charming, she could give him that. And for the first ten minutes of their outing she hadn't thought about Quinn once.

Until then.

_Shit, I can only go ten minutes without thinking about her. I'm pathetic._

When she had gotten home from school she had went straight up to her room, avoiding her fathers and laid flat on her bad, her face down. She didn't cry, which was unusual, but she did think back to everything that transpired between the two.

And in the end she realized that she was right.

Quinn didn't have any right to be mad at her for going out with Noah when she basically did the same thing with Finn.

And unless Quinn was the most clueless girl in the entire world, she shouldn't have said she loved Finn with Rachel sitting right in front of her. Rachel had thought she had made her feeling blatantly obvious and she was just waiting for the blonde to make the next move.

"Rachel?" A voice yanked her out of her thoughts.

She blinked a few times trying to focus back in on what was going on around her and she zeroed in on Noah's face. The boy had one eyebrow raised and a skeptical look on his face. Beside him, a hostess stood, a rather annoyed expression on her face.

"What?"

Noah gave a throaty laugh and glanced over his shoulder at the hostess who just snapped her gum loudly, looking anywhere else but at the two of them who were in front of her.

"I said, what do you want, booth or a table?" He repeated himself.

"Oh." She smiled shyly. "Booth is fine."

Noah gave her a quick nod before turning and glancing at the hostess. "Booth please."

"Right this way." The hostess, who couldn't have been much older than them, growled.

They walked over towards one of the red booths that stood out against the dark contrast of the restaurant and Noah slid into his seat while Rachel slid into hers, taking off her purse and gently placing it beside her before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and glancing up at Noah who was staring at the departing hostess's ass.

Rachel was disgusted but she couldn't help turning and glancing at the woman either, who did in fact have a lovely backside.

She couldn't totally blame Noah for leering.

She turned to face forward again, still noticing Noah gawking, and she let out a snort of disgust, pulling the boy's eyes away.

"Pig." She grunted, flipping open her menu as the boy chuckled.

She was almost laughing at the irony because, she hadn't been caught checking out the girl's ass, he had.

"What? I'm a dude, Rach. I've got some serious needs." He said with a shrug.

"You're on a date!" She retorted harshly, tearing her gaze back to his.

Noah grinned from ear to ear. "I thought you said this wasn't a date?"

_Shit._

"I-ugh," She fumbled, "it's not, word vomit. I like someone else."

"Ah yes, mysterious man." He chuckled. "Whose the lucky guy?"

"Yeah, right." She giggled. "Like I'd actually tell you."

She heard the boy let out an offended gasp and she ignored it, her eyes tracing over the menu once more before setting it down beside her, leaning back in the booth and staring at the boy who was studying her face, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Does he go to our school?" He questioned, folding his hands together on the table, his forearms flexing with the movement.

She licked her lips and considered the positives and negatives if she were to tell Noah. For one he was popular and Rachel was not. Therefore, if he ever told, her already barely there reputation would shoot down even further, and Quinn would find out. But it'd be nice to tell somebody that was completely straight about her feelings. The only people that knew of her feelings were Kurt and her fathers who were all very flaming homosexuals.

But she couldn't risk it.

"Yes." She grumbled, having no intention of spilling her secret. And it wasn't like the boy would guess who it was anyway.

The boy made a noise over the thought and before he could a reply, an elderly waitress approached the table and set down two waters, smiling politely at the both of them. "What would you youngsters like to eat?"

"Salad please." Rachel murmured, giving the woman a smile.

Old people were so adorable.

She hoped one day she'd be white haired, sitting on a wrap around porch somewhere in the country. The occasional car would drive by and at her side would be-

Wait.

That wasn't what she wanted.

She'd want to be white haired in New York. She'd be sitting on the roof of the building she lived in, relaxing on a rocking chair. The odds of Quinn being at her side were rather slim, but she could dream about the blonde being beside her, the two of them arguing over what day of the week it was because, they'd be so old they wouldn't remember. Or when one of their kids came and visit them, Quinn would have to tell her which child it was because, she couldn't remember.

The possibilities of growing old with Quinn were endless.

"Is he in Glee?" Noah said loudly, and she blinked, noticing the woman was no longer in front of her and that Noah and her were once again alone.

"Ugh," She mumbled, turning to the boy, "no."

He raised one eyebrow up unsure. "You don't know anybody else."

"Hey!" She growled. "Yes I do!"

"Defensive," The boy studied, "that means you are lying. If you didn't have anything to lie about, you wouldn't be defensive. So it's somebody in Glee."

Rachel was confused about the sudden turn of conversation and she dropped her head into her hands and she rubbed her temples trying to get her raging headache to disappear.

"Is it Finn?"

She glanced up from underneath her eyelashes and gave the boy a disgusted frown.

"Guess not." He breathed, bringing one hand up to stroke his jaw. "Sam?"

Rachel pondered over the boy that came up in her head and she raised her eyebrow. "Although I wouldn't be opposed, he is rather cute - he is not the person I like either."

"Person?" Noah frowned.

"Yeah?" She replied, cocking one eyebrow up.

"Is it a boy?"

Her heart plummeted.

Oh god, she wouldn't be able to lie.

She couldn't lie.

The boy was asking her if she liked a girl.

How could she lie?

"Yes."

Noah's eyes flickered back and forth between her two chocolate orbs and he bit down on his bottom lip. "No it's not."

Rachel's jaw dropped and she quickly closed it with an audible snap. "Yes it is!"

"No, I can tell." He said surely. "You are not the best liar, Berry. And I already know who it is, so you can drop the act."

"What-uhm, you do not know who it-"

"Quinn."

Well she was fucked.

* * *

><p>She studied the boy across from her as he chopped down on a bread stick, his eyebrows pulled together in a straight line. His hands shook ever so slightly as he brought the bread stick up to his mouth for another bite. He looked calm but something was off about him. She knew he hadn't come from the best of homes but she knew it wasn't the worst either. But she figured, like everyone else, Noah had his secrets. And his secrets were eating away at him.<p>

"How long have you liked her?" Noah mumbled, swallowing down the last bite of his second bread stick.

She had given up her act right after they got the food.

Even if she had kept it up, Noah still would have made his own assumptions and believed what he wanted to believe.

She had quickly gripped his shirt collar and yanked him to her, threatening his life if he ever told anyone. The boy seemed in a state of disbelief that the girl would think he'd tell anyone, but for her sake he had promised he wouldn't tell anyone.

She nibbled down on a piece of lettuce, thinking the question over.

"Since the Championship football game." She finally mumbled, gripping her glass and taking a sip.

"Wow." Noah let out a breath. "That's been like seven months."

"I'm aware." She grunted.

Noah didn't say anything for a second, but when his eyebrows lifted up and he got a mischievous look on his face she figured he was thinking of something.

"You know, Rach." He said with a grin. "The idea of you and Q together, is really fucking hot. If you ever want to get together for a threes-"

"Stop!" She raised her voice, dropping her head in her hands and avoiding the boy's gaze. "Stop!"

She heard his boisterous laughing and she glared at him from behind her hands, her cheeks flaming red.

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah, well-" She grunted, dropping her hands away from her face and gripping her fork, "it's never going to happen because she is not gay."

"She's not gay?"

The comment threw her off guard.

"No she's not."

"_Oh_." Noah mumbled, his lips pulling down at the corners.

"Why?" Her food was long gone and she leaned forward to stare at the boy.

He glanced up at her from beneath his eyelashes, a worried look flashing in his dark eyes. He didn't answer right away, instead Rachel watched as he took his time cutting into the steak he had ordered and cutting out a small bite and bringing it up to his mouth to eat. He chewed on the meat thoughtfully for a minute before raising his eyebrows up. "One time when we were making out, she moaned Santana's name instead of mine."

She raised her eyebrows up in surprise and she felt her whole body tense.

"She what?"

"She moaned Santana's name. And when I asked her about it, she said not to tell anyone and that she was sorry, Santana was just on her mind." He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders and chewing on another piece of steak. "I would have forgotten the whole thing if she hadn't of moaned your name a few weeks later. Well... Maybe not your name, but she moaned out, _'Oh god, Berry.'_ And I'm pretty sure my name isn't Berry and you are the only Berry she knows."

Rachel froze.

Quinn had moaned her name while making out with a boy?

Well that surely wasn't gay at all.

Her head became filled with images and sounds of Quinn moaning her name in that breathy little voice of hers, while Rachel was buried in between her legs. She imagined those fingers curling in her hair and the blonde just chanting her name like a mantra to the rhythm of Rachel's tongue sweeping around her bundle of nerves-

"Where'd you just go there?" Noah's voice rose, swallowing down the piece of steak and cocking one eyebrow up at the brunette.

"Huh?" She mumbled, blinking a few times to clear the image out of her head. "Oh-uhm, nowhere."

Noah stared at her for a beat longer before his lips pulled up into a smug smile. "You were totally thinking about fucki-"

"Stop!" She growled, dropping her head into her hands. "Noah, I'd rather not talk about sex and Quinn, while eating dinner with you and your perverted mind."

She heard the boy snort and she glanced up to see him shaking his head.

"I'm obviously not the only one who has a perverted mind." The boy joked in a sing-song voice and winked at the brunette as she gave him a disgusted look.

"I don't have a perverted min-"

"Whatever you say, Berry." Noah interrupted, grinning from ear to ear. "Whatever you say."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey...<strong>

**Hey Rach, can we talk? **

**Rachel, please answer me.**

**Well you must be busy with something. I'm pretty sure your date with Puck is tonight, so yeah, sorry. Can you please text me whenever you get my messages? I really need to talk to you.**

Rachel had not even thought about her phone until she arrived at her house around nine o'clock that evening.

The rest of her dinner with Noah went along smoothly and they talked about their plans for the future. Rachel realized that Noah, although rebellious, was very ambitious. He wanted to move to California to promote his pool cleaning business and although Rachel thought the whole idea sounded like a complete failure in the making, she didn't have the heart to tell the boy that because, his eyes were filled with such passion and fire while he was in the midst of describing how he cleaned neighborhood pools. After they had gotten through with dinner, Rachel was once again shocked to realize that the boy was paying for her. Although it was customary, she didn't think Noah would actually pull through and pay for her, so when he did she had put away her money in her purse and smiled. As they walked home, they got back on the topic of Quinn again and Noah had asked what Rachel was going to do about the whole situation.

"I-I don't know." She fumbled, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't really think she's gay, so I guess I'm just going to have to get over it."

"Why don't you fight for her?" Noah had retorted, running a hand through his mow hawk.

"I can't make her feelings change. You can't force someone to like you Noah. That's not how a stable relationship works." She had replied and seconds later, pleaded to drop the subject of Quinn and herself.

Noah had begrudgingly agreed and they moved on to why Rachel and Finn had never worked out and why Noah and Quinn had never worked out. She had never realized that Noah had actually really cared for the blonde, but was to intimidated by her father. But what Rachel hadn't figured, was that the blonde had broken up with him, which she had.

"Yeah, she broke up with me right before summer our sophomore year." He said, kicking his boot into the sidewalk in front of Rachel's house. "She didn't really say why, she just said we weren't working anymore. So we broke up and a few weeks into the summer she called me crying and demanded we get back together, but I just didn't have the heart to be with her anymore if she was just going to dump me again for no reason. So we broke up, and I guess things have never been the same between us again."

After Rachel had comforted him for a few minutes, she had given Noah a hug and thanked him for the night. Promising to text him later in the week and plan another get together in the future.

But as soon she walked into her room and pulled out her phone, her thoughts were sidetracked on the name that flashed on her screen.

**Quinn TheAwesome Fabray.**

She couldn't help but smiling at the name, remembering when the girl had taken her phone during one rehearsal and changed her name. She didn't have the heart to change it. And when the rare moments came up when Quinn would text her, it made her smile.

_What is it Quinn?_

**Finally you answered! Look, I really wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier. I was being bitchy and I shouldn't have said what I said.**

_Why are you sorry? If you really love Finn then you should be allowed to say it. Don't think just because, he is my ex that you can't say you love him if you do.  
><em>

**I know. But I don't love Finn. And even if you don't care about him anymore, I really shouldn't have said it in front of you.  
><strong>

_You don't?_

**Don't what?**

**No! I said that because, when you told me about you and Puck, I just got really jealous. And I was mad that he asked you out. And so I said it to try and convince myself I didn't care Puck had asked you out and I guess it hurt your feelings.**

_Yeah it did._

**And I'm sorry for that!**

_Look Quinn. It's okay. Don't worry about it. But I can assure you I don't have any feelings for Noah, in fact we talked about who I liked today and he accepts that I won't like him anytime soon so he doesn't care and he is being a very supportive friend._

**Oh... Who do you like?**

_Do you really not know who it is?_

**No. Please tell me?**

_I won't tell you who. But I will give you a hint, okay? A hint a day until you guess who it is. I lied last time we spoke about him going to a different school. He doesn't, he goes to our school. And the hint is - he is in really good shape, but his sport isn't in season right now since it's the end of the year so he is kind of in that post-season shape._

**Like me?**

_Exactly..._

**I see. Sam? **

_Funny, that's what Noah guessed. But no, that's not who it is._

**Darn. Well give me some time to think about it, okay?**

_Okay, I will. _

**Okay... And again, I'm really sorry about earlier. I don't love Finn. And I don't love Puck either. I guess I'm just sorta in a funk right now, a lot of stuff has been happening at home and I'm stressed a lot. I just took my anger out on you today and lied about something I shouldn't have. Especially with Finn being your ex and everything. So I'm really sorry.**

_It's okay, Quinn. _

**Are you sure?**

_Positive._

**Good. Okay, well. You know I love you right? **

_Yeah I know._

**No seriously, Rachel Berry. I love you. Thank you for everything you have done for me. You are one of my best friends and I love you.**

_I love you too, Quinn. I love you too. _

Not waiting for a reply she threw her phone across the room and fell back into her bed, crossing her arms over her eyes and grunting out in frustration. "Yeah, I love you... A lot more than you know."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N -** Hey everyone! So a few notes - I'm sorry for this chapter being a little late. This chapter was one of the hardest chapters, emotionally, to write. And I really wanted to get it perfect for you all, so I'm sorry it took so long. I probably rewrote it eight times before actually uploading it... But it's finally here!

I'm ecstatic that you guys are enjoying the story and the latest chapters! There is under ten chapters left, which is unfortunate but like every story, there always has to be an ending. But don't worry because, I do have two stories currently in the works that I'm writing in my spare time. I can't wait to share them with you, if that is something you guys would be interested in! Anyway, in this chapter and the next I would just like to say, please don't get _to_ upset with Puck! The whole story is based off a true experience, so I'm just writing him as the character he is portrayed as! So let's get on with the chapter and I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Fifteen:**

"I really miss sex."

Rachel glanced up from the flickering television screen to examine the boy with the mow hawk that sat beside her. His lips were pulled down into a grimace as he stared at the musical Rachel had practically forced him to watch.

After her date with Noah, a week earlier, Rachel had began talking to the boy even more and some would even say they were really good friends.

Kurt, in fact, seemed to be enjoying the fact that Rachel would no longer call him when she was upset about something that had transpired between her and Quinn.

Noah was now _that_ guy.

The boy had been over at her house every day after school for the past week and two days, and to say Rachel was finally getting used to having the boy around was an understatement. She was accustomed to the boy at that point that when she went to bed every night, she swore she could smell the boy's musky cologne scent on her pillow and it was a comforting feeling cuddling up to every night. She would have preferred Quinn's Victoria's Secret perfume, but she managed to live with Noah's cologne.

She was also thankful that the boy wasn't a complete awkward goof around her fathers, like Finn had been whenever they were dating.

Whenever she had dated Finn and the teenage boy had come over occasionally, every time her fathers would try to make casual conversation, Finn would tense up and he'd bite on his bottom lip, staring at Rachel for help. And he occasionally passed gas as well, which was not pleasant for her fathers.

Noah, on the other hand, practically had her father's wrapped around his finger. She didn't know if it was because he had years of practice, swooning his girlfriend's parents into thinking he was a good kid, that made him so irresistible to her fathers. Her fathers loved him... Even Leroy who was the stricter one of her two fathers, practically screamed in joy whenever Rachel would announce Noah's arrival. And it annoyed Rachel that Noah seemed to come over just to talk to her fathers for the first half hour he was there. He'd stroll into the Berry household and march into the kitchen, immediately striking up a conversation with her dads about what had transpired at school, or whatever they were up to. It usually took Rachel five minutes to convince Noah they should head upstairs and start on the homework they never finished.

Rachel cleared her throat and examined the boy for a second longer, her eyebrows raising. "Well considering the fact that I've never had intercourse, I can't say the same." She offers, shrugging her shoulders and turning back to the television. "But I can say I miss Quinn."

Noah snorted and Rachel turned to see the boys eyes rolling, and she could basically hear his thoughts taunting her on her choice to be a virgin until marriage or until the right person came along. She didn't see why it was such a big deal to wait for a while with the whole V card, it's what people back in the Shakespearean ages did.

"Speaking of little miss Q, isn't her birthday coming up?" Noah asked, lolling his head back against the headboard and staring at Rachel.

Rachel followed his movements and lolled her head to the left, raising her eyebrows up. "Yes, tomorrow actually."

"Tomorrow?" He raised his eyebrows, his lips puckered. "Damn, that means she's gonna be eighteen. And I'm already eighteen. Fuck, we are all eighteen!" His face turned into one of awe. "Holy shit, we are almost out of high school!"

"Profanity, Noah." She scolded, rolling her eyes and nudging the boy with her elbow. "But you are correct, we are almost out of high school. That does tend to happen in an average human beings life. We are born, we grow old and then we die. And we have a few days in there that are worth remembering."

"Smart ass." She heard the boy mutter under his breath and she chuckled to herself as Noah sat forward on the bed, his elbows dropping to his raised knees. "What'd you get her for her birthday anyway?"

"What makes you think I got her something already?" She asked skeptically, raising one eyebrow.

Noah snorted and rolled his head back to look at her. "You are Rachel Berry."

The boy did have a good point.

"Well, I'm taking her out on a date-" She paused as Noah raised his eyebrows up. "Well she doesn't know it's a date, but for me it's a date, and I got her an object or two. Which I'm not telling you what it is and I'm going to sing to her, I think..." She gnawed on her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes. "I haven't totally made up my mind on that one yet."

"Why won't you tell me what you got her?" He asked, leaning back on his elbows and staring up at her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't want anyone to know until I give it to her. I want to see how she likes it before other people."

Noah seemed to think the comment over before shrugging his shoulders. He sat forward and turned to face the brunette, reaching for the remote and pulling it out of the girls hand before turning to the television and turning it off. He threw the remote on the ground and rolled around so he was sitting cross-legged in front of the brunette. Rachel opened her mouth to complain but was cut off by Noah pulling his lips down in a puppy dog smirk. "I want to try something."

Rachel was intrigued to whatever the boy had on his mind, so she straightened, cocking one eyebrow up at him. "What did you have in mind?" She asked hesitantly.

"I want to know how you really feel about Quinn." He said with a smile.

Rachel tilted her head to the side, confused. "I've already told you how I feel about her though." She mumbled out, uncharacteristically quiet.

"I'm aware," He said with a slow chuckle, "I mean like how about I am Quinn, and you tell me-Quinn, how you feel?"

Rachel knitted her eyebrows and pulled her lips together in a tight line, trying to avoid laughing in front of the boys face.

"That sounds like a really stupid idea." She admitted with a giggle.

Noah's face pulled down angrily. "Don't you dare laugh at me, Berry. This is a good exercise I want to try out."

"Sounds pretty stupid to me." She breathed out under her breath but when Noah frowned she couldn't help but slapping his leg and start laughing loudly, her voice cracking.

"Don't make fun of me!" He growled, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. "They do this in movies all the time. So let's just try it! I'm Quinn and pretend you guys are all alone, and you finally admit how you really feel about her."

"I can't do that with you pretending to be Quinn!" She said through a chuckle. "That's impossible!"

Noah's face held no traces of amusement, but with the whole seriousness of his face and the way Rachel found the whole situation absolutely funny she couldn't help but laughing even further at the whole scenario. "Noah," She giggled, "I don't think you understand. I literally cannot pretend you are Quinn."

The boy waited, his eyebrows raised an annoyance, for the brunette to stop laughing.

After a few more moments of rapid chuckling, Rachel managed to calm herself down enough to listen to what the boy had to say.

"Just try it out and if it doesn't work we can stop and watch the movie." He pleaded, his eyes wide. "Just one shot, please?"

With the way his lips were pulled down into a sad smirk, and those wide dark eyes, Rachel couldn't help but grunt and sink her shoulders ever so slightly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever." She grunted and sat forward, pushing her hair behind her ears and trying to focus in on the scene Noah had given her.

Every single moment was an opportunity to practice her acting skills.

If she wanted to be on Broadway she had to be dramatic and expressing her love to a boy, who was pretending to be a girl, was quite a way to be dramatic.

"Quinn..." She tested the waters, blinking her eyes up at the boy who leaned forward, intrigued by the blonde's name rolling off her tongue.

"Yes?"

Although his voice was gruff, he did sound sincere in his attempt to pretend and be the blonde.

"I've got something to tell you." She murmured slowly, trying to imagine the boy's face morphing into Quinn's, even though it was proving to be impossible.

Rachel didn't have the heart to tell the boy that the whole idea was stupid, but it was. It wasn't even realistic. It's not like she'd actually ever tell Quinn how she felt. For one, that would cause her to lose her friendship she had worked so desperately to maintain with the blonde. And two, that would mean the whole school would find out about her, and it would cause her to be more of an outcast than she already was. She couldn't risk losing Quinn like that. She _wouldn't._

"What is it, Rach?" Noah said cautiously. "You know you can tell me anything."

Rachel's lips twitched at the corners as she struggled to hold back her smile.

That would totally be something Quinn would say.

"Okay," She breathed out slowly, shutting her eyes and glancing down at the patterns on her blanket, "I-I love you, Quinn." She breathed out, shutting her eyes and waiting for any sort of reaction from Noah, who she was pretending to be Quinn, above her.

"I love you too?" Noah whispered, a confused expression crossing his face and he slowly raised one hand up to graze his mow hawk uncomfortably.

"No-" Rachel paused, surprised by Noah's reaction to the confession. The boy was a much better actor than anyone gave him credit for. "I mean, I love you-I love you more than a friend should."

She waited for the boy to respond, the room growing silent. All that was heard was Noah's shocked gasp and Rachel's heavy breathing. The tension between the two cackled and she slowly tore her gaze away from the patterns on her blanket and to Noah's eyes. Even though the boy maintained his posture and facial expressions, his eyes indicated he was waiting for Rachel to continue.

"Believe me, it hit me like an avalanche and I was quite surprised." She admitted, rubbing her right hand up and down the length of her left arm soothingly. "I never planned to fall in love with a girl. In fact, I never planned to fall in love with anyone until I was successful in New York. But then you..."

Her mind began tracing back to the first time she had showed some form of curiosity in the blonde. It was a few weeks before her and Finn had started dating. She had been shifting through her things in her locker, minding her own business, when out of nowhere a slushie was launched at her face and she was covered in icy grape fruit. She had looked up to see who had done such a thing and saw Quinn with a cruel smirk placed on her face and a Styrofoam cup clenched in her right hand.

From that moment on, she had become the number one target for Quinn's evil tactics.

And from that moment on, she was set on knowing why she, of all people, was the one Quinn decided to go after.

For some odd reason, Rachel always had an obsession with being popular. And then when she became a prisoner to Quinn's mind tricks, she had become fascinated with being Quinn's friend. She didn't know why she wanted to be Quinn's friend, but she desperately wanted to be. Now she understood why she was so set on achieving the goal, but she could basically imagine a younger version of herself, confused as to why she would want to be around the girl who was doing this to her.

And her curiosity only lit up further, when nearly a year and a half later Quinn had apologized for her cruel ways. And simply the sincerity in Quinn's voice had stroked something inside of Rachel and it brought her to text the girl a few days later, thanking her for being so polite.

And now that she was aware of the feelings she had for Quinn, it all made sense as to why she was so interested in the blonde way back when the girl was bullying her.

"Then you apologized to me for everything you had done, and it was one of the sweetest things anyone could have done for me and I-just, I needed to thank you. So after I texted you, you started talking to me more and I found myself wanting to be near you, or wanting to be texting you at every given moment." She admitted, running her hand up to the back of her neck and rubbing at it awkwardly. "And when we went to Columbus together, I just remember looking over at you while you were sleeping and thinking... There cannot be anything more perfect in this whole world, than this girl sitting next to me." She licked her dry lips, trying to regain some moisture back into her mouth. "And trust me, I told myself I couldn't do this because it was so unfair to you. But you know what Quinn? I've learned something in these past few months, you can't change your feelings. No matter how hard you tried. And believe me I tried."

Her eyes traced over Noah's features to see how he was taking the information she was saying to him, and his expression was totally unreadable.

"I considered being cruel to you-ignoring you. I considered telling you we couldn't be friends because I thought it'd be for the better. But just seeing you smile at me, and accept me for who I am, I knew I couldn't do that to you..." She cleared her throat slowly, her thoughts drifting to the dark period where she actually considered doing that to the blonde. "I used to watch my dads all the time and noticed that whenever, one of them would move, the other would follow. Or like they would absentmindedly play with each others fingers while watching a movie. Or that they just seemed to know little things about each other that didn't really matter. And I didn't think I'd ever find a person that could be that for me and-" She cut herself off, feeling a sudden wave of tears threatening to expose themselves from her eyes. There was no need to be crying, she was just being emotional and dramatic. "And you changed that. I suddenly got what my dads had and that was love."

"Like I notice things that I shouldn't notice about you. I notice the little things. For example, sometimes you chew on your fingers, but it's not like a bad habit of biting your fingernails... You just bite on your fingers when you are lost in your thoughts. To go along with that, sometimes it's not like you are even on the same atmosphere that I'm in. Sometimes, you get lost in your own little world and for those few seconds that you are lost, I just wanna know where you are. I wanna know where you go to get away. And when you walk-this gets annoying, but it's like you don't have a sense of walking straight. You always curve a little bit to the right of left."

Noah licked his lips and Rachel's eyes traced down to the movement slowly, licking her own lips to try and recover from what she had been saying.

"Quinn, I don't think you can love a person as much as I love you. I don't just want to be a girlfriend to you, I want to be your best friend. I want to hold you in my arms when you cry and kiss you good night, and send you good morning beautiful texts. I want to make your perfect first date fantasy come to life. I want to learn how to play the guitar, just so I can sing to you and come up with some cheesy song that's about you. I want to be one of the many reasons a smile lights up on your face. I-I really can't even express into words how much I just want to mean the world to you." Rachel breathed, shaking her head slowly. "I just-I know I'm either one of the worst things for you, or the best. And I just don't want you to hat-" Her words stumbled and she slowly felt one tear sliding down her cheek.

She cursed herself for being so weak.

"I don't want you to hate me because I don't know if I can live without you." Her voice cracked against her will and she dropped her head forward to rest on Noah's shoulder. "Yo-you're everything, Quinn. You're _everything _to me."

She felt a hand begin stroking through her hair and she couldn't help the sobs that began pouring out of her.

She figured out the reason they had never talked about this before... It was because she cried like a baby whenever it came to Quinn.

"All those stupid love songs and movies..." She mumbled, her voice muffled by Noah's shoulder. "I get what they mean now. They mean you-they mean us."

She heard Noah exhale loudly above her and she felt comforted as the boys hand skimmed down to her back and softly began running his hands along the curves of her shoulder blades. "You are alright, Rach." He murmured, his voice hoarse. She felt his cheek land on the top of her head and she clenched at his soaked shirt harder. "You're amazing."

The comment probably should have comforted her more, but it just made her crying even more uncontrollable.

Her hands moved on their own record and she brought them up to rest around Noah's neck, clutching him tightly to her. She tilted her head to the side, her lips close to the boy's ear and she felt the boy shudder in her arms at the proximity, but she barely even noticed.

"I love her s-so much."

She heard Noah let out a groan and she felt the boy clutch her tighter his hands rubbing soothing circles on her back. "I know you do, I know." She cooed, his voice soft.

They sat in that position for the next few minutes. Rachel felt comforted in the fact that she could basically sob and look terrible in front of the boy without having him judge her. She was happy to know Noah was there for her. She buried her face in the crook between his neck and shoulder and tried to slow her breathing by inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth, an exercise she had learned from working out on her elliptical every morning. Noah breathed words of encouragement in her ear and ran his hands down her back, the movement so relaxing that after a few minutes Rachel managed to calm her crying down to a small whimpering.

"You're okay, you're okay." Noah uttered, pulling back gently and gripping Rachel's chin, tilting it north so he could examine the girl. "You're okay?" He muttered, the comment more of a question.

She let out a forced laugh and ran her hands through her hair. "I will be, just gi-give me a minute."

Noah nodded slowly and he seemed to be lost in thought as his eyes flickered over her facial features before he settled on the few tears that were falling down the brunette's cheeks. And then ever so slowly, Rachel noticed that the boy's hand began to move towards her face. She tensed up, her eyes following the movement, curious as to what the boy was going to do when his hand cupped her cheek and the boy ran his thumb over the shed tear. "You're so beautiful..." His voice was husky and she had only approximately two seconds to realize what was about to happen before Noah was leaning forward.

When their lips met Rachel was immediately dissatisfied.

The boys lips were nothing like Quinn's.

Quinn's were smooth, and her bottom lip always managed to capture in between her lips in a sensual manner. Noah's lips were chapped and they seemed to be enveloping her whole mouth.

Noah moved his lips against hers, obviously trying to get a response but Rachel wasn't ready to give him a response. She groaned and brought her hands up to Noah's shoulders, pushing him back as forcefully as she could and when the boy backed away, he had a small smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"What the hell?" She growled, bringing her arm up to wipe away the saliva the boy had left on her lips.

"Oh come on," Noah retorted, his eyes rolling, "you cannot say you are not into me. It's obvious you are!"

Rachel's mouth opened in disbelief and she retraced their conversation, trying to find any hint that she had given Noah any type of confirmation on her feelings towards him. "I have no idea what you are talking about. I've made it blatantly obvious that I'm in love with Quinn. Were you not just apart of the conversation we were having?"

Noah bit down on his bottom lip and shook his head, standing up abruptly, his face contorting from sadness, to jealousy, to anger all in a period of five seconds. "This is bullshit. It's been a week now Rachel and I've been nothing but nice, you have to give me a chance."

Rachel felt guilty and glanced down, picking at her fingernails. "Noah, I thought I've made it obvious-"

"This is bullshit! You are such a selfish bitch for talking about Quinn right in front of me. That's not cool!" He growled, reaching down and grabbing his backpack from the edge of the bed.

Rachel frowned at the sudden change in conversation. "You are the one that brought the whole thing up!" She growled defensively, growing agitated with the whole conversation.

Noah was really going to get angry with her when he brought up the whole topic? The whole situation was stupid and was getting out of hand!

"Rachel, you know I like you, so why would you talk about Quinn right in front of me?" He yelped, dropping his arms defeated in front of her. "That's not fair to me you can't just play with my feelings like that."

She could feel guilt creeping up her back and she slowly dropped her head, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat. "Noah-" She mumbled his name, "I'm sorry, but I thought I've made it clear that I don't like you like that."

She watched as Noah tensed and his lips pulled down into an angry frown and he slowly nodded, gripping one of the straps of his backpack tighter over his shoulder. "Yeah, well, you know what?" He growled, turning on his heel and throwing open the door. "Fuck you, Berry." He husked before slamming the door behind him and leaving Rachel alone in her room.

Rachel was left alone, wondering what the hell had just transpired.

* * *

><p>Rachel stared at the empty seat in the back corner of the choir room, her stomach twisting into knots.<p>

Noah hadn't showed up to school that day, and Rachel couldn't help but thinking that something very bad was about to happen. Like her therapist said, it was her instincts talking to her. And her instinct had proven itself numerous times whenever she got a bad feeling or whenever Quinn broke bad news to her. So when her stomach continued to churn she knew she was in for a big surprise.

But as she turned and faced the front of the choir room where Santana and Mercedes where in the middle of a duet, she spotted Quinn grinning at the two girls on the row in front of her. And instead of the churning sensation inside her stomach, she felt her heart warm.

She hoped that her instinct would stay out of the way for just one night so Rachel could take Quinn out on the perfect date.

After everything that had happened between Noah and her the previous night. She was ready to have a night alone with Quinn. She had big plans for the evening and she couldn't wait to bring them to life. Even though Noah had been a major asshole, he had given her a lot of confidence in her feelings towards Quinn.

_'The other night, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had about you and me.' _Santana's shrill but husky voice rang out through the choir room and Rachel was momentarily pulled away from her staring at Quinn and brought back to the girls.

She saw Santana holding Brittany's hands in the front row and she couldn't help her lips pulling up at the corners at the obvious love the two girls had.

Although she didn't know anything about the two girls or how their relationship was, she knew they were good for each other. She didn't know if they loved each other, but they brought out the best in each other. And Rachel could tell Santana actually cared about the blonde, purely on the way she looked at her.

_'I called you up, but we'd both agree,' _Mercedes jokingly gripped her duet partner around the waist and yanked her back towards the center of the choir room, '_It's for the best you didn't listen, it's for the best we get out distance... oh..."_

Santana unwillingly tore her eyes away from her girlfriend and glanced at Mercedes before the two wailed out the last to verses of the song and Rachel couldn't help but admitting the two had a powerful voice combination._ 'It's for the best you didn't listen, it's for the best we get our distance... oh...'_

The girls ended and smiled at each other before returning back to their seats, the applause following them while Rachel shook her head and focused on the back of Quinn's head, droning out whatever Mr. Scheuster had begun talking about.

Quinn's hair was pushed back by a black and white flower headband. The profile of her face was in full view and Rachel was happy she had chosen a seat diagonally away and up from the blonde because she had the perfect view of that enticing face. The girl's dress sloped down to the top of her breasts and Rachel found it agonizing to see the blonde revealing so much juicy skin.

Her thoughts were similar to Finn's because at that exact moment the boy leaned back and took a peek down the girls chest. She cringed at the thought that she had the same taste as her ex.

She shook her head and tried to focus back on Quinn.

Her dress was black and white, with a very similar flower pattern to the one of her headband. And to top of the outfit Quinn had on a pair of white flats and her face was glowing. It delighted Rachel to see the blonde so happy, when it was becoming a rare occurrence.

"Rachel?" She heard her voice being called and she yanked her head forward to the sound of her name and met Mr. Schuester's confused gaze.

She noticed some of the other kids had turned and watched her and she immediately blushed realizing some of them probably caught her gawking at the blonde.

"Do you have anything prepared?" He repeated, rocking slowly on the balls of his feet.

"No, not today." She said dismissively sinking back into her chair and trying to burrow away from the looks her peers were giving her.

"_Oh_." Mr. Schuester mumbled, dumbfounded at the response. He shook his head and started to open his mouth to speak but before he could start the sound of the bell ringing shrilly above them interrupted him and the kids began packing up their things.

Rachel quickly got her bag draped over her shoulder and glanced up to see Quinn already making her way to the door of the choir room. She quickly jumped down the few steps and made a beeline for the blonde, and the hulking boy in her right hand. Just as they got to the hallway Rachel stopped Quinn by resting a hand on her shoulder and when the blonde turned to see who it was, her face lit up into a bright smile.

"Hey Rach!" That angelic voice said. "What's up?"

She didn't say anything for a few seconds, just taking in the presence of Quinn. But when she noticed the blonde raising her eyebrow, and Finn shifting behind her she cleared her throat and grinned. "Hey Quinn. I have a question for you?"

Rachel noticed the blonde released the boy's hand and she couldn't help but being delighted at the tiny action.

"What is it?"

She felt her heart accelerate as she took the blonde's hand and put on her dramatic show face. "Tonight I need you to hang out with me for your birthday, otherwise I might die." She stared at the blonde, her eyebrows raised an a pleading expression. "Literally die. And if that is not enough persuasion, I've got gifts."

Quinn's face pulled down into a frown. "Rachel, you didn't have to get me any-"

"Ssssssh!" The brunette husked, bringing her finger up to hush the girl. "Dinner, with me tonight. Seven?"

Rachel watched the girl who looked hesitant for a split second before opening her mouth, but just as she was about to reply to the girl's question she was tugged by Finn who growled about having to get to class. She watched Quinn straighten and whisper something in the boys direction before leaning back towards her.

"Tonight." Quinn agreed. "Just me and you?"

Was that a hint of hope she detected in Quinn's sultry voice?

"Just me and you." Rachel confirmed.

Quinn's face lit up and she leaned forward her lips near the brunette's ear. "I look forward to our evening together." Even though the sentence itself wasn't sexy, the way the blonde said it was amazingly sexy. She had no idea if the blonde meant the statement to come off promising, but that's what Rachel took it as.

As the blonde turned yanking Finn along with her, Rachel watched the way those hips swayed and she couldn't help but thinking it was going to be a great night.

Not only was Quinn being extra flirty.

But Rachel had something big planned.

* * *

><p>She ran her sweaty palms down the front of her jeans, her legs shaking ever so slightly as she stood in front of the Fabray household. The wind tore through the neighborhood slowly and the brunette's hair pushed back behind her shoulders as she stared at the house.<p>

Rachel was extremely nervous for her date tonight with Quinn. Even though Quinn didn't exactly know it was a date, to Rachel, this was the pair's first evening together and Rachel planned to make it memorable and sweep the blonde off her feet. Ever since she found out when Quinn's birthday was, she had planned out the entire evening for the girl.

She had spent weeks preparing for this day and now that it was actually happening she couldn't even grow a pair and knock the fucking door.

She had been nervous ever since she had gotten home from school. She had checked her phone for any messages from Noah, but seeing none she had gotten ready and it had taken her a half an hour just to figure out what to wear. She had no clue how formal this evening was going to be even though she was the one planning it out. So after about eight outfits she decided on wearing a pair of capri's and a long sleeved top with just enough cleavage, in hopes of enticing the blonde. Her hair was curled and she had a pair of tennis shoes on that squeaked as she shifted nervously on the front porch. She had texted her fathers right before she had arrived at Quinn's house to make sure they had gone through with their part of the plan and the fact that she hadn't gotten an answer yet, scared her to no end. If her fathers didn't pull through on their part of the plan, the evening was going to be doomed.

She could do this.

It wouldn't be hard.

It was just Quinn.

_Exactly it's just Quinn. _

She frowned at the thought that crossed her mind and her hand clenched into a fist at her side. She shook her head once to clear her thoughts before raising her hand to the door, but before she could knock against the wood, the door swung open to reveal a smug blonde.

Rachel had an excuse bubbling at her lips as to why she had been standing outside the door for the past fifteen minutes, but the retort died in her throat as she examined the blonde in front of her.

To say the blonde looked breathtaking was a complete understatement.

Her hair was down and the golden locks were waved by her shoulders, her bangs were clipped back by an adorable butterfly clip. She had on a tight blue skirt and a white v-neck shirt that sloped just enough that the blonde's pale skin was in perfect view. Her collarbones were protruding just the right amount and Rachel found that her mouth was watering at the sight. Her eyes stopped at the heels Quinn was wearing that made the blonde's calves look muscular and smooth and Rachel had to shut her eyes for a brief moment to clear the sudden vulgar images she had of the blonde. When she reopened them she saw the flicker of amusement in the blonde's hazel gaze and she felt immediate heat rush to her cheeks.

She really needed to quit being so obvious with her leering.

"How do I look?" The blonde's voice held a teasing tone to it as she gripped the edge of her skirt and did a little twirl, giving the brunette a perfect view of that plump ass.

Rachel's teeth sunk down into her bottom lip as she met Quinn's gaze.

_Speak, speak, speak! Use words, use words!_

"You look... ugh-" She shut her eyes and cringed at the unsteadiness in her voice. "You look radiant."

Quinn's lips pulled down at the corners into an adorable upside down smirk and the blonde dropped her head, glancing up at the brunette from beneath her eyelashes. "Thanks. You look flawless, Rachel."

Rachel found her cheeks heating up for the second time that night and she slowly dropped her gaze to the ground, pushing her hair behind her ears before shuffling her feet. "You ready to go?" She mumbled, still not looking up.

Before Quinn answered, Rachel felt her head being tilted north by the girl's pointer finger underneath her chin, and when their eyes met Quinn popped one eyebrow up suggestively. "Look at me." The blonde's voice wasn't harsh, just demanding enough that Rachel had to obey. "Where exactly are we going?"

"I can't tell you." Rachel fumbled out, tensing as the blonde's finger that had been under her chin slowly dropped and began tracing circles on her right wrist.

"And why not?" The blonde's voice was teasing and seductive and Rachel felt her heart skip a beat.

What was Quinn's angle?

If it was to make Rachel a bumbling idiot and get her panties wet, the blonde could check that off her list.

"It's a sur-" Her breath hitched as Quinn's finger trailed higher to her bicep. "Surprise."

Quinn's lips perked up at the corners into a smile and Rachel felt her skin erupt in goosebumps as the blonde trailed her finger back down to the girl's elbow, before gripping it and pulling her flush against the blonde. Rachel squeaked against her and she shivered when the blonde's breath tickled against her neck. "Please, Rach?"

God, Rachel could hear the sex oozing from that angelic voice.

Quinn obviously must have taken her flirty flakes before stepping outside.

If Quinn could be flirty, she could be too!

Feeling bold, Rachel yanked her arm away from the blonde's grip and brought her hands up to grip her shoulders, leaning up the tiny distance away they were separated and let her breath rake over the blonde's ear. She felt the blonde twitch in her arms and she grinned smugly, letting her voice drop down to a whisper. "Don't worry Quinn, if you wait for the surprise, I promise-" She cleared her throat once, telling God she was sorry before whispering once more. "You'll be _throbbing _with happiness. You'll almost want to... _O__rgasm." _

She heard the blonde's breath hitch and she giggled to herself, falling back down flatfooted and staring up at the girl whose eyes were wide with shock.

"Oh-" Quinn's voice faltered, as she shut her eyes, breathing out slowly. "Well we should get going then." She quickly said and pushed past Rachel heading for the girl's car, leaving Rachel on the porch feeling guilty for having said what she said.

Even though she was one, she truly didn't get the female mind.

* * *

><p>"Can I take this thing off, it's itching my ears!" Quinn's voice was annoyed as she had her hands out in front of her, searching for something to grasp onto.<p>

Rachel giggled at the sight in front of her.

When they had gotten to their destination, Rachel had walked over to the side of the car and grinned at Quinn, an innocent look in her eyes. And when the blonde asked her what she was smug about she pulled out the black blindfold and pleaded with the girl for her to put it on. After five minutes of arguing back and forth, Quinn, although reluctant, finally agreed.

And as Rachel tied the blindfold on, she let her hands skim down the length of Quinn's waist, swearing to God that she heard the blonde mutter something, but it was to quiet that she actually wasn't able to hear what it was.

And as they began walking, she was ecstatic when the blonde laced their fingers together and demanded that Rachel guide her.

"Not yet." Rachel breathed, pulling the girl behind her. "We're almost there."

From the distance they were at, Rachel could see her fathers had pulled through with their side of the bargain and she thanked Barbara because she had been so worried the guys would have forgot. She observed their surroundings and was happy to know that no one came to the school at seven o'clock in the evening and she was happy that they'd have the whole area to themselves.

"We're stepping on flat ground." Rachel alerted Quinn, glancing over her shoulder as the girl cautiously stuck one foot out and tapped it on the ground a couple of times before bringing her other foot with her, her lips pulling down into a frown.

"I don't like not being able to see." The blonde grunted, walking close to the brunette and making their bodies collide.

Rachel attempted to hold back her groan and when the blonde realized what she had bumped into, she jumped back two steps and chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." She said quietly, gripping the blonde's hand tighter and pulling her ahead towards the area that Rachel's fathers had set up. As they neared Rachel felt her nerves going crazy and she slowly rubbed her thumb over the blonde's knuckles more for her own comfort than the blondes. And when Quinn's feet hit the side of the blanket that was set down for them, Rachel sighed, turning towards the blonde and enjoying the sight that was in front of her.

She didn't have to worry about the blonde catching her gawking for once.

She let her eyes trace over the girl a few times and smiled, realizing that she didn't think it was possible to love someone so much.

"Why did we stop?" Quinn mumbled, her head turning every which way, trying to find Rachel.

Rachel waited a beat longer before exhaling loudly. "You can take the blindfold off."

Quinn squealed quickly before tearing the blindfold off her head, her eyes blinking rapidly trying to adjust to everything that surrounded her. Rachel watched as the blonde's eyes blinked in realization to what was around her and when the girl turned to glance at her, a smile on her lips, Rachel felt herself relax slowly.

"Yo-you did this?" Quinn stammered.

Rachel licked her lips slowly, turning to stare at what the blonde had motioned to and taking in everything that she had planned. They were at the high school, on the football field, right smack on the fifty yard line. There was a blanket set out with two candles lit in the middle of the blanket and a picnic basket which held two sandwiches, and Quinn's presents in. The overhead lights were dimmed as they always were and the whole atmosphere had a very romantic tone and it made Rachel's skin tingle as she glanced back up at Quinn.

"Well, I planned it out, yes." Rachel admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "My dads set it up though."

Quinn nodded slowly, removing her gaze away from Rachel's to look over the whole setup once more. Rachel watched Quinn's face for any sign of a different reaction and as the blonde abruptly turned towards her, she swore something was hidden in her gaze but she couldn't question it because, the blonde had wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck tightly and smashed their bodies together in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much." Quinn breathed, curling her face towards Rachel's neck and inhaling.

Rachel stood tensed for a moment until she caught a whiff of that delicious scent that was Quinn Fabray and she quickly relaxed, her arms moving to wrap tightly around the blonde's waist, bunching the material of her skirt at her hips. She could feel the girls heart beating in her chest and she was pretty sure Quinn could feel the exact same thing with hers, but she couldn't care, all she could care about was how amazing it was to be in Quinn's arms. She felt like she had to describe the feeling every time because every time it just blew her away and left her completely speechless.

"I love you, Rachel. You are one of the most amazing people in this world." Quinn's voice was shaky and Rachel pulled away concerned, to see little tears forming in the girls eyes and Rachel's eyes widened and she quickly gripped the blonde's shoulders, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Quinn, I-what's wrong?"

The blonde shook her head and let out a forced giggle, dropping her gaze and sniffling. "I just really love you."

In any other situation the confession would have made Rachel pass out right then and there, but with a sniffling Quinn Fabray in front of her, she couldn't. Instead, her lips pulled up at the corners into a sympathetic grin. She laced their hands together and she breathed out the blonde's name, pleading for the girl to look up at her.

And when she did, Rachel saw those red shot hazel eyes and the blonde looked so innocent and cute, that Rachel almost had to go running for the hills.

Quinn could kill her with just a look.

It was insane.

"I love you too Quinn." Rachel murmured slowly, trying to emphasize just how much she loved her in such a tiny little sentence. "I really do, you're my best friend. And I love you okay? Please don't cry. Birthday girls don't cry."

The blonde snorted and rolled her eyes, which caused Rachel to grin from ear to ear. "Birthday girls always cry. I don't know what world you are living in."

Rachel chuckled and slowly released her right hand from Quinn's and brought her hand up to stroke the shed tears that were on Quinn's cheeks, gently wiping them out of the way so Rachel wouldn't have to see the blonde crying anymore.

"You want to eat?" She suggested, glancing down at the blanket and waiting for the blonde's answer.

"I'd love to." She murmured slowly and Rachel smiled, slowly dropping down onto the blanket and patting the spot next to her for the blonde to follow her lead.

Quinn slowly glanced around the football field one last time before dropping down onto her knees beside Rachel. And in that moment when she met Rachel's gaze, Rachel for sure thought the girl was going to lean over her and just kiss the living daylights out of her. She wanted her to so bad.

But instead, the blonde swallowed, and dropped down onto her backside beside Rachel, crossing her legs out in front of her and setting her hands in between her thighs, giving Rachel a skeptical look.

She cleared her head from all perverted thoughts of Quinn and turned towards the picnic basket, opening it and reaching inside, her hands searching for the plastic bags of sandwiches she had made earlier for the two of them. She pulled out the peanut butter and jelly one for Quinn and handed it to her, before grabbing her own sandwich that was vegan friendly.

She waited for Quinn to take a bite of her sandwich before she took a bite of her own. As she bit down into her meal, she chewed thoughtfully, stealing glances at the blonde like she always did.

"Question?" Rachel murmured curiously after a few minutes of the two of them eating.

Quinn's eyes raised along with her eyebrows and she had a skeptical look on her face. "Shoot."

"How come you came out with me tonight?" Rachel asked, bringing her hand up to wipe some crumbs she had on her lips. "I mean, it's pretty customary for a child to spend her birthday with her family or something, you know? So why are you with me instead of your parents?"

Rachel gauged Quinn's reaction, who frowned, not answering right away. Instead, she took a bite of her sandwich and looked down at the turf field, her mind elsewhere before she glanced back up at Rachel. "It's Wednesday. My parents are at church on Wednesdays. And church comes first. No matter the occasion."

Rachel thought over the information she just learned and frowned.

Quinn Fabray's parents are obviously fucking stupid.

They didn't realize their daughter was unhappy. They had known and raised Quinn for eighteen years and they couldn't even see how upset Quinn was right in front of them, where Rachel had known the blonde for four years, and only had been friends with her for a few months and she knew more about Quinn than they ever did.

"Oh," Rachel frowned, running a hand through her hair, "I'm sorry."

Quinn shrugged the comment off and took the last bite of her sandwich. "It's no big deal really. I'd rather spend my time with you."

Rachel gleamed at the comment, glancing up at Quinn from the corner of her eye. "Really?"

"Really." Quinn confirmed with a shake of her head.

Rachel nodded slowly, then dropped her head, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth shyly. Just knowing the fact that the blonde wanted to be with her other than her family, made Rachel happy to no end, even if it was a little sick. God, she was just so in love with the blonde.

She glanced up to see the blonde was leaning back on her palms, expectantly waiting for Rachel to finish her sandwich.

Rachel sheepishly smiled and took a small bite of her food. "Sorry." She mumbled, giggling as she traced her eyes over the blonde.

"Don't worry about it." The blonde shrugged it off with a smile.

Rachel could feel herself blushing under the gaze the blonde was giving her and she wished the blonde would look away. But she didn't. Instead, she continued to stare at Rachel as she ate her vegan meal.

"Can I ask you something?" Quinn spoke after a minute.

She glanced up at the blonde who had one eyebrow cocked and a skeptical look on her face. She quickly wiped away the crumbs on her top lip and nodded.

"How come you haven't been in more relationships?"

Well that threw her for a blank.

She swallowed down the final piece of sandwich she had and she dropped her hands in her lap, thinking the question over. What did the blonde mean by the question? What was she expecting Rachel to answer. "What exactly do you mean?" She finally muttered, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"I mean," Quinn cleared her throat and scooted closer to the girl, "even though you have the tendency to be annoying-" She paused as Rachel's jaw dropped. "No offense." She quickly added, obviously feeling guilty at the poor word choice. As the brunette dropped her head slightly, Quinn quickly reached for Rachel's hand and smiled sympathetically.

"Let me finish, I truly was trying to give you a compliment, okay?" The blonde pushed, tilting her head down so she could look Rachel in the eye.

"Anyway, as I was saying-" Quinn started again when Rachel finally brought her gaze back up. "You actually are a really cool person to hang around. I'm never bored with you and you keep me entertained and you are one of those people that I feel like I could talk to for hours. You're gorgeous-" At that point Rachel was blushing crazily, her eyes falling to the ground in embarrassment. "Not only on the outside but on the inside. You're one of the sweetest people I know, and you're talented, so I was just curious as to why you don't have more relationships?"

Rachel frowned, her eyes scrutinizing Quinn's hand on hers, noticing the differences between their two hands. Quinn's fingers were slim and long, that were connected to a pale hand. Where Rachel's fingers were short and stubby, connected to a tan hand. But interlaced, it was like they were made for each other.

"I don't know really." Rachel finally shrugged, feeling her bottom lip quiver. "I guess people just don't like me."

She remained glancing down at their interlaced fingers, not daring to look up to the blonde's eyes, scared for what she might see there.

But she didn't have much choice when she felt a finger pushing her chin upwards. Her gaze was forced to meet Quinn's and what she saw there nearly made her heart leap out of her chest. Quinn's gaze had so much fire hidden beneath her hazel eyes, that it took Rachel's breath away.

"_I like you._" Quinn breathed slowly, her warm breath fanning into Rachel's face.

The simple comment did unexplainable things to Rachel.

"I like you too." She replied slowly, her lips pulling up at the corners.

Quinn blinked a few times, letting her tongue graze her lips before sighing and releasing Rachel's grip. When the blonde tore her gaze away, Rachel allowed herself to look away as well, and glance at the picnic basket beside her.

"Okay," Rachel breathed, attempting to clear the tension out of the air, "it's present time!"

She heard Quinn let out a groan and Rachel glanced up to see the blonde's head in her hands.

Rachel giggled, shoving Quinn's shoulder, before opening the picnic basket and pulling out the first gift she had prepared for the blonde.

"You ready?" Rachel said with a wide grin, prodding the blonde with the toe of her sneaker.

"I guess so." Quinn grumbled, bringing her head away from her hands and searching Rachel's face.

"Great! Here it is!" She cheered, holding her hands out in front of her, and watching for Quinn's reaction.

The blonde looked confused for a second, her eyebrows knitted together in disbelief. "Ugh, Rach?" Quinn said with a slow chuckle. "There is nothing in your hands." She murmured, almost as if Rachel didn't know.

But that was all part of her plan.

"I know there's nothing there!" Rachel squealed, bringing her knees up to her chest and chuckling like a little child on Christmas. "That's the point!" She chanted, rolling to her feet and jumping up so she was standing, looking down at the blonde with her hands laced behind her back. "I'm going to sing to you!"

"You are?" Quinn said with an amused expression on her face.

"Yup!" Rachel crooned, jumping once before stopping and giving the blonde a serious look. "You ready?"

Quinn chuckled, dropping back down on her elbows and stretching her legs out in front of her. "Ready." She said, propping herself up on one elbow so she could do little circles with one arm as if to say,_ get on with it._

Rachel slowly felt her nerves from before creep up her back and she slowly took a deep breath to calm her racing nerves. She had never anticipated getting nervous in front of the blonde, especially since she was singing and she was never nervous when she was singing.

But when it came to Quinn, she was nervous about everything.

"_If you were falling, then I would catch you. You need a light, I'd find a match." _She tapped against her leg to try and match the beat of the actual song, her heart racing as Quinn's eyes widened at the choice of song. "_Cause I love the way you say good morning. And you take me the way I am._"

She gave Quinn a shy smile before dropping her head and pushing her hair behind her ears. _"If you are chilly, here take my sweater. Your head is aching, I'll make it better." _She slowly descended onto her knees in front of Quinn, chuckling slowly in the middle of her Capella singing before grabbing the girl's hand in her own._ "Cause I love the way you call me baby. And you take me the way I am."_

Rachel slowly lifted the blonde's hand towards her face and dropped her lips down to swiftly place a chaste kiss on the back of Quinn's hand, causing the blonde to grin and a blush to appear on her cheeks._ "I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair. Sew on patches to all you tear." _

She stared in Quinn's eyes with a quivering smile, hoping the message she was trying to get across would make itself known with the next lyric._ "Cause I love you more than I could ever promise. And you take me the way I am. You take me the way I am. You take me the way I ammmmm-" _

She had dropped her gaze out of nervousness and once she sang out the last lyric, she slowly glanced up at Quinn from underneath her eyelashes, her heart racing as the blonde had an unreadable expression on her face.

Her nerves ignited again.

"That was..." Quinn slowly breathed, her eyebrows knitted together as a pained expression came across her face. "That was-" And instead of finishing what she was saying Rachel was being pulled in for a hug, Quinn's arms looping around her waist and pulling her down on top of her.

"Thank you." Quinn's voice was muffled by Rachel's shoulder but Rachel could hardly care due to the fact that she was laid out on top of the blonde in such an intimate position, but it wasn't in a sexual manner at all. It was actually more of a romantic way that she was sitting on the blonde and Rachel felt wings sprout out from her shoulder blades.

No, not literally.

But, the feeling was still the same.

She felt wanted in that moment as Quinn's hands tightened, her shirt bunching on her hips and a giggle bubbling from the blonde's lips beneath her.

She couldn't see the blonde's face and it was killing her. So she quickly looped her hands from around the blonde's neck and placed them on either side of the girl's head before slowly lifting up a few inches away and examining the beautiful creature called a girl beneath her.

"Hi." Quinn breathed, her eyes shining and a smile on her lips. Her blonde hair was splayed out on the blanket and her arms were still wrapped around Rachel's waist tightly.

Rachel grinned, pulling her lip between her teeth. "Hi." She whispered back, cautiously bringing one hand up to rub Quinn's cheek with her thumb, curious as to what brought the boldness on.

But she forgot all about it when Quinn released one arm from around her waist and brought it up to cup her wrist gently, leaning her cheek into the brunette's hand. Her heart skipped a beat and she wet her lips slowly, her eyes glazing down towards the blonde's lips slowly, trying to refrain from kissing the girl.

If Rachel could read minds, she was nearly positive Quinn was thinking the same thing by the way she was looking at the brunette, her hazel eyes darkening by the second.

And then slowly the look was gone and embarrassment flooded in the blonde's eyes as she slowly sat up, bringing Rachel with her. Rachel found herself at an even more uncomfortable position, with her straddling the blonde, her knees on either side of the girls hips.

"Ah, uhm," Quinn said flustered, a red tint appearing on her cheeks and Rachel got the message, slowly rolling over onto her side away from the blonde, trying to distance themselves but not by to much.

"I guess, I will give you your other presents now?" Rachel questioned, reaching for the picnic basket.

"That's fine." Quinn said quietly, shifting her legs underneath her.

"Okay, well-uhm," She stumbled over her words, reaching into the picnic basket and pulling the two final items out. One was in a thin black case while the other was in a bag. She slowly handed the materials over to the blonde, gauging her reaction as the blonde took the case in her left hand and the bag in her other.

"Which one should I open first?" Quinn said skeptically, eying the two gifts.

"Doesn't matter." Rachel said with a shrug, leaning back on her palms and waiting for the blonde to decide.

Rachel couldn't help but giggling as the blonde stuck her tongue out to the side, her eyes flickering between the two objects in her hand. In that moment, the blonde couldn't have possibly looked more adorable.

"I'll go with..." She slowly weight the gifts in her hand before dropping the bag and gripping the black case in both of her hands. "This one!"

Rachel chuckled, pushing off her palms and leaning closer to the blonde.

With nimble fingers the blonde slowly pulled the case open, to reveal a tiny heart locket necklace.

Quinn's jaw immediately dropped and Rachel couldn't help but feeling a bit smug at the reaction. "Rachel, a necklace?" The blonde said in disbelief, her eyes raising towards the brunette. "This didn't cost you a lot, did it?"

The blonde immediately looked stern and Rachel broke out in a ear to ear smile, shaking her head.

"It's actually a locket, there's a picture inside." Rachel informed the girl, pointing to the piece of jewelry. "And no it didn't."

Actually it cost her a month's worth of savings but the blonde didn't need to know that little piece of information.

"A picture?" Quinn stated to herself, slowly bringing her hands down to the lock part of the heart and opened it to reveal the picture of Quinn and Rachel from when they traveled to Columbus.

The blonde wasn't giving her any immediate reaction, so naturally Rachel began to ramble. "I figured it'd be a nice gift, since school is ending in a few weeks and I don't know if I'm going to see you after the summer - and I guess, I just wanted you to have a piece of me, to remind you of me from time to time. If you don't like it-"

"I love it." Quinn immediately confirmed, her eyes raising. "It's thoughtful and sweet."

_Hook, line, and sinker._

"Aww, shucks." Rachel said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

The blonde giggled and shoved the brunette, before turning to her last gift laying by her side.

"Before you open it, you should know," Rachel piped, "that present took me a week to finish."

Even though the information wasn't necessary, Rachel wanted Quinn to know that she actually cared about how her gifts would be perceived. Rachel wanted to let Quinn know she was worth spending a lot of time on.

Quinn shook her head a few times, before reaching inside the bag and pulling out a tiny stuffed polar bear, with different patterns of sewing patterns on them.

Now to the blonde, the polar bear probably didn't mean much. But to the brunette it meant a lot. The first time Rachel ever got a glimpse of what Quinn was like out of her HBIC exterior, was when she saw the picture of her and her sister at the zoo, a polar pressed up in the glass behind them. And in that moment Rachel realized that Quinn was equal to her. Quinn was just an ordinary girl... That she happened to fall in love with. But that was totally besides the point.

"You sewed this?" Quinn said in disbelief, her eyes raising. "I didn't even know you could sew!"

Rachel shrugged, pursing her lips to the side. "It's an old trick I learned from my dads."

"That's amazing!" Quinn exclaimed, shaking her head from side to side.

Rachel giggled, smiling sheepishly as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

"Like, seriously, Rach. That's amazing. You are so talented! Is there anything you can't do?" Quinn asked oblivious to Rachel's cheeks that were growing red.

Rachel forced a laugh through her lips and bit down on the corner of her lip. "There's a lot I can't do, Quinn." _Like grow a pair and tell you how I feel._

Quinn paused, knitting her eyebrows together. "I believe you can do anything, Rachel." Quinn said sincerely, before dropping the polar bear at her side and leaning forward and gently pushing Rachel to lay down on her side. The brunette hesitated for a moment, unsure of what the blonde was trying to do, but when Quinn gave her a pleading look, she willingly laid down and looked over her shoulder, eyes on the blonde. Quinn slowly kicked off her heels before lowering herself behind the brunette, wrapping one arm around the brunette's waist, searching for Rachel's hand that was clutching the blanket. When Quinn's smooth fingers unlaced her hands from the blanket and instead, laced their fingers together, Rachel stopped breathing altogether.

"Quinn," Rachel's voice was shaky as Quinn settled one leg between Rachel's and curled her head into the back of Rachel's neck, "what are you doing?"

Quinn let out a slow chuckle and her warm breath tickled the back of Rachel's neck, making the little hairs stand straight up in attention.

"_We_ are spooning." Quinn said, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

Rachel's voice caught in her throat and she slowly shut her eyes. "Oh." She whispered, flustered.

The blonde shifted behind her, scooting closer so her front was pressed up directly to Rachel's back. They were so close, Rachel could literally feel Quinn's breasts pushed up behind her, and the feeling was wonderful. The way Quinn was holding her, their hands laced together, that protective arm slung around her waist, it made Rachel feel special.

"Thank you." Quinn whispered, her thumb rubbing the back of Rachel's palm.

Rachel couldn't find words because, she was nearly positive Quinn was kissing the back of her head and so instead she slowly nodded and relaxed into the blonde, completely at peace.

* * *

><p>To say she didn't want the night to be over, was a complete understatement. Walking up to Quinn's door she felt the need to just grab the blonde and runaway with her. She didn't care where they went, as long as Quinn would never have to leave her side. They could go to Antarctica, they could go to Indonesia, she didn't care. As long as the blonde had her hands laced in hers, she was fine with anywhere.<p>

"I had fun tonight, Rach." Quinn said slowly, her legs making her come to a halt in front of her door as she turned slowly, facing the brunette. "Thank you... Again."

Rachel grinned, dropping her head and poking the toe of her shoe against the hardwood floor of the porch. "I had fun too, Quinn."

Quinn nodded slowly, staring at Rachel for a beat longer before dropping her own head and glancing at the ground.

And Rachel felt the words bubbling up her throat. She felt the need to do what she had planned to do all evening.

No, it wasn't kiss Quinn.

It was something way more than that.

She had been planning this all day and now that the moment was arising she couldn't bring the comment to slip through her lips. She couldn't.

She raised her eyes towards Quinn's, seeing the blonde with her head down, looking so vulnerable, made her heart accelerate and she tried to pep talk herself into saying what need to be said. She really needed Quinn to hear what she needed to say.

_Speak._

_Speak._

_Speak! For the love of God, open your mouth woman and say something! Anything!_

"Well..." Quinn announced, "I better be going."

_Oh no! _

_God no!_

_This is bad._

_Houston! We have a problem! We have a problem! The flight is taking off without the pilot! I repeat the flight is taking off without the pilot!_

"Oh, okay." Rachel said slowly, nodding her head in understanding.

_What? No! No! No! No! This is bad. Why did you say that, you idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Oh no! She is turning away, she is turning away! Stop her!_

"Bye Rache-"

_Stop her, Rachel! You need to stop her! _"Quinn!" She shook her head and shut her eyes and just pretended she was looking in on the situation rather than being in the actual situation.

"I'm gay!"

* * *

><p>The wind was blowing, the lamp posts were lighting up the streets in certain areas, and the moon was cast in a bright circle up in the sky. A few blocks away, the sound of a dog barking endlessly was heard and every few minutes there was a car that would drive by. The trees rustled whenever the wind blew and it was a beautiful evening out.<p>

But Rachel couldn't enjoy it.

She was on edge due to the fact that Quinn hadn't said anything since her big announcement other than, "Let's sit down."

And that's all they had done for the last century, was sit.

Century was a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure felt like that to Rachel. It could have only been fifteen minutes they had been sitting. But with the blonde's thigh pressed up against her and the wary look on her face, had Rachel's nerves on fire.

"How long?" Quinn finally breathed, her eyes still looking ahead at the street.

Rachel swallowed loudly at the first sound coming out of the girls mouth. "How long what?"

"How long have you been gay?" Quinn uttered.

Rachel considered the question for a few moments before she nodded. "I assume I've been gay my whole life, but in the past year I figured it out." Now it wasn't a total lie, but the whole plan of attack hadn't been to tell Quinn her feelings. More to tell Quinn she was gay, to see how the blonde would perceive the news. And if the blonde took the news well, then Rachel would tell her. If not, she wouldn't.

Quinn nodded, her eyes still ahead. "I see..." She drawled out, inhaling audibly before finally turning to meet Rachel's gaze for the first time in the past twenty minutes. "I-uhm, I'm kind of at a loss for words. Please, try and understand that."

Dumbfounded, Rachel nodded. "Of course, Quinn. It's big news, so I completely understand."

Quinn nodded again, pursing her lips to the side and looking at Rachel in the eye. "Can I ask you a question though?"

"Anything." Rachel immediately nodded.

"It's not me...?" Quinn said, her eyes darkening. "Is it?"

"I-ugh-" Rachel choked out, immediately averting her eyes. "No, of course not."

Quinn relaxed immediately, her eyes filling with relief. "Oh good. I thought it was. Just kind of by the way you were acting. But I'm so happy to know you don't like me. No offense, but that would be a little weird." The blonde's words were rushed and Rachel immediately felt her heart drop in her chest.

Her life was over.

She no longer had the will to live.

Although she might be dramatic, she really didn't want to even stay a moment longer after hearing that. She was stupid for thinking she even had a chance with Quinn. Quinn was obviously very straight. And, Rachel was just a stupid little girl. She felt moisture pool in her eyes and she avoided her gaze from Quinn's not daring to let the girl see her because, then the blonde would know.

"Rach?" Quinn's voice dropped to concern slowly.

"Uhm, what?" She sniffled, subtly trying to rub her eyes and get the moisture out of them.

"I said, I still accept you. You know that right? I don't look at you any differently. I mean - my two other best friends are gay." Quinn murmured, bringing one hand up to rub Rachel's shoulder gently.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Rachel shook her head, slowly turning to the blonde and giving her a weak smile. "I just - I really wanted to tell you. Because, I trust you and I felt like I was hiding apart of who I was from you and I don't like that."

Quinn nodded understanding, "I appreciate you telling me, and trusting me enough to tell me something that important to you."

The python inside her chest, constricted her heart further at the sympathetic look the blonde had in her eyes.

She needed to get out of there.

Right then.

"Anytime, Quinn." Rachel fumbled, pulling out her phone from her pocket. "Oh god, my dads have been calling me to get home, so I better go." Rachel announced, slowly, standing without a second thought. "I-I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, you will." Quinn said with a polite smile, standing, and before letting the brunette protest, wrapped her arms around the girls neck tightly. "I still love you just the same Rach." And Rachel didn't want to feel so she just buried her head in the area between Quinn's neck and shoulders and just pretended, for one moment, Quinn had actually wanted to be with her.

* * *

><p>She ignored her fathers as she trudged up the stairs.<p>

She wasn't strong enough to lie to them about telling Quinn.

She didn't know if she'd ever be able to lie to them about what happened.

But she wasn't ready to tell them yet.

All she could picture was their faces when she told them she was going to confess her feelings to Quinn. They had lit up and encouraged her with praises, going on and on about how her and Quinn were a lovely couple and that they supported her no matter what.

And to see their faces stricken with disappointment... She just couldn't do that to them.

She pushed open her door, dropping her purse on the floor as she made her way to her bed, immediately flopping down on the mattress.

She let out a load groan into her pillow and slowly rolled over so she was laying on her stomach and staring at the ceiling. She blinked a few times and breathed deeply, trying to get normal air flowing back through her. She felt like she had asthma. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

After a few minutes she pulled her phone out of her pocket and when the screen lit up, she narrowed her eyebrows together in confusion at the name on the title.

**Finn Hudson.**

_Why on Earth would Finn be texting her on a Wednesday night at-_She glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table-_eleven?_

She shrugged her shoulders, oblivious to what was about to happen. Oblivious to the fact, that her world was about to come crashing down.

She opened the text and gasped at the little message that greeted her.

_**Are you a lesbian?**_


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N -** This chapter will be rated M. I should have mentioned this earlier, but this story is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine. I will go back when I'm finished with this story and fix any and all mistakes. **  
><strong>

**Chapter Sixteen: **

She stared at the screen, unable to look away from the words that stared back at her. Her blood ran ice cold and her heart stopped pounding inside her chest. She felt her stomach do one flip inside of her and she felt the sudden urge to throw up into the nearest trash can. She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and suddenly her vision was filled with moisture. In a matter of seconds, she felt her legs go stiff and she couldn't move.

This was bad.

This was_ very _bad.

She didn't even know how she managed to respond but her thumbs ran across the keyboard of her phone and quickly typed out a reply to Finn.

_No of course not! Why would you think that? _

How could he know?

_No! He couldn't know! But then why would he ask me that? There is no way he could know!_

She was having a heated debate with herself, but she couldn't focus on anything except attempting to properly breathe.

She threw her phone down and shifted into full on panic mode.

She stood, her heart quickly beginning to beat again.

She had never hit rock bottom before.

But she was pretty sure she just did.

She didn't even know how to comprehend anything about the current situation. All she could think about was how last week she had Noah, sitting in her bedroom, the two of them laughing at whatever movie was on the television screen. And how a month prior she was sitting in Quinn's room, the blonde beside her, the two of them talking about masturbation and chewing tobacco.

And now?

Now, a boy she had once thought she was in love with, was texting her asking if she was a lesbian!

This was so bad.

She knew for a fact Kurt would have never told anyone. And that only narrowed it down to two people, Quinn or Noah. Her mind was racing, wondering why either of the two people would spill her secret! But she knew in the back of her head, that she figured it was Quinn who had spilled the beans. If Noah wanted to get back at her, he would have done it earlier that day. It was Quinn and she felt queasy at the thought.

How was she so stupid?

How could she not see the signs?

_I did see the signs! They were right in front of me. I was so oblivious to them though. God, I'm such a dumb ass, why did I tell her? I was so concerned about wanting her to like me that I didn't even notice she was uncomfortable. I just wanted her to like me that I didn't even notice what was right in front of me! And now my life is going to be over! How could I have been so stupid?  
><em>

Rachel couldn't believe this was happening to her.

She was a firm believer of karma and she was nearly positive she hadn't done anything in the past few weeks that made her deserve this.

Because, she knew after tomorrow her life would be over.

Finn knew.

He _knew._

He knew the one secret she had been spending months trying to keep at bay.

She glanced down at the bed through blurry eyes to see a incoming call lighting up her screen. She quickly dropped to her knees on the mattress and brought the phone up to her ear, cupping it with both hands. She didn't even bother looking at who it was, she just needed to talk to somebody.

Anybody.

"Rachel!" A concerned voice spoke through the line. "What the hell is going on?"

She opened her mouth to reply to the person on the other line, but nothing came out. The only sound was her struggling to breath. She felt like it was physically impossible to speak. She could feel her hands and phone wobbling against her ear and she tried to steady them, but that was impossible as well. She felt her bottom lip quiver and she couldn't control any normal body functions.

It was as if she was having an out of body experience and she was looking in on what was going on.

She was being so fucking weak.

"Rachel!"

"I-I-Kurt-It's-it's-bad." She managed to choke out.

This wasn't normal crying.

This was the bad crying. This was the crying where you can't stop shaking to save your life. This is the crying where you can't even see anything because your eyes are so blurred from the tears. This is the type of crying you do when you can't even cry, when your breath is labored and your chest is constricting. This was full on sobbing. This was the crying you did when your parents used to get mad at you when you were younger. This was the type of crying little kids had during temper tantrums.

Except Rachel wasn't having a temper tantrum.

She was having a heart attack.

Or at least something that felt like a heart attack.

"I know, Rach." Kurt sighed and she heard shifting on the other end of the line. The boy sounded like he was pacing in his room and if she weren't so miserable, she would giggle at the image in her head. But today, the circumstances were different. "I just got the mass text-"

She couldn't even comprehend what the boy was saying.

His voice began to fade in and out, as if she were losing the phone call from bad service. But the only bad service was her thoughts screaming at her.

"I texted him back and asked what the hell he was doing."

She could barely hear him.

Her ears were throbbing. She felt like the Hunchback of Notre Dame was ringing the bells in her head and the sound was echoing out through her ears.

"He said you deserved this-"

Why?

Why would this happen to her?

She hadn't done anything wrong!

"He said he forwarded the message to everybody at school."

Quinn was going to abandon her-

Oh god, Quinn. She knew, she knew. Holy shit, she knew. She knew it all. She knew Rachel was in love with her. She knew that Rachel had lied to her earlier. She would know and she would hate her. She'd get tormented even more. She'd become the school's number one target for bullying. Hell, the whole rumor would probably spread around the two and then Quinn's parents would know. Everyone would know.

"Oh my god." She yelped, her eyes filling with more moisture. "Oh my god, Q-Quinn." She fell over into the bed, face first, hoping the pillow would be some kind of comfort, but instead it was just an anchor for her tears. She felt her gut wrenching, she felt the evil thing called sickness creeping up the back of her throat. She felt her nose stuffing up as the seconds passed. But worse of all, she felt her whole life slipping between her fingertips.

"I'm so sorry Rachel."

* * *

><p>She didn't know what time it was.<p>

She presumed it was the morning because of the way her eyelids were glowing and that only happened when the sun was out, or when the lights were on.

After sitting in bed for what had to be twenty minutes, she groggily peeled her eyes open, finding it difficult because of the dried tears. The corner of her eyes held that gross yellow stuff in it and she couldn't help but think humorlessly that the Sandman had definitely dropped by during the night. Her nose was stuffed up completely and she had to open her mouth just to breath.

She brought her elbows up on the mattress and slowly lifted herself to a sitting position.

Her hair fell in her face but she didn't even give an effort to flick it out of her way.

The sunlight was streaming through her windows and she could see the tiny dust bunnies floating through the rays of light.

She tried to not think about the previous nights events, rather just try and clear her head as she slowly tore her eyes around the room. She hadn't bothered picking up her purse that she had thrown on the ground. She also noticed that a bunch of notebook paper was shredded on the ground. She squinted her eyes, trying to see what was on the notebook paper when she remembered.

She had ripped out all of the things she had written down about Quinn in her journal.

She didn't want to have to look at that every time she opened it.

She didn't want to be reminded of her and Quinn.

There was no her and Quinn anymore... There was never a her and Quinn to begin with.

Just her.

After realizing that Noah had told everyone, she realized she could only depend on herself.

She had spent a better part of the night trying to soothe herself by singing although it was one of the worst sounds in the world. Her voice was cracked, her throat was dry, and tears were staining her sheets. She had repeated the word NYADA in her head numerous times, trying to remind herself that she only had to survive another few weeks at McKinley and then she would be gone. And she wouldn't have to think about Quinn or Noah, or any of the people that were sure to bully her when she got to school.

She ran her hands up through her hair and dropped her head, staring down at the patterns on her blanket.

She didn't want to have to go to school today.

It was a weak move, but she didn't think she could do it. She'd managed to stay strong when she was getting bullied by Quinn-that was easy.

But the whole school knowing her biggest secret?

She didn't think she could do it.

And she hated herself even more for having to put Quinn through that as well.

She could just imagine people going up to the cheerleader and demanding to know what her and the lesbian loser had done together. Had they slept together? Had they fooled around? Had Quinn transformed into a lesbian too? Was Rachel good in bed?

God, she was a sick person.

She was going to put Quinn through something the girl didn't deserve.

She heard a tentative knock come from her door and she turned her head to the sound, watching as the door opened to reveal a sympathetic looking Hiram Berry.

She hadn't told her fathers what happened yet. But she figured they knew something was up.

She must have just confirmed Hiram's suspicions because his eyebrows raised at her appearance and he slowly walked into the room, quietly closing the door behind him before walking over to the bed and sitting down beside his daughter.

He didn't say anything as he pulled Rachel into him.

Rachel immediately complied and curled into his side, bringing her arms up to wrap around his waist.

The position reminded her of when she was a little girl and she had gotten her feelings hurt in preschool and she'd come home and her fathers would grab her a water to drink so she didn't know if she was upset or just thirsty. Then they'd sit her on the couch, in between them and they'd just snuggle and watch Lifetime movies until she had to go to bed.

They were quiet for a minute or so and the only sound was Rachel's ragged breathing through her mouth and Hiram's shifting on the bed.

"I don't know what's going on..." He whispered, tilting his head and kissing the top of Rachel's head. "Just know that your father and I love you so much. And we both know that you are strong enough to get through this."

"At least someone does." That's all she responded.

Her father sighed above her and pulled her in closer.

Rachel happily allowed herself to be a little girl again.

* * *

><p>She was able to go into school late that day.<p>

Her fathers wouldn't let her miss the whole day just because they thought she was strong enough to go through whatever she was going through.

She slowly walked down the hallways of McKinley, happy that she had gotten to school in the middle of fourth period so she didn't have to face the hustle of kids that came rushing to their lockers when the bell rang.

Her shoes didn't echo off the walls like they usually did.

That's because she was wearing tennis shoes instead of her penny loafers or heels.

Rachel Berry never wore tennis shoes.

She came to a stop at the front of her locker and glanced down at her attire. She had barely managed to get up and put an effort into anything. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, her hair pulled up into a loose ponytail at the top of her head.

She couldn't even care.

She had more important matters to care about rather than what she looked like.

She was just finishing opening up her locker when a pair of her shoes clapping against the tile floor made her freeze in her spot.

She bore holes into the tile floor, unable to look up as the footsteps got closer.

With each step and echo of heels off the wall she tensed even more.

As the sounds were only a few feet away she slowly raised her eyes from the cracks in the floor to the person walking down the hall.

It was a freshman.

Someone she didn't know.

But she knew it was a Cheerio from the jacket the girl was wearing.

The girl hadn't noticed her yet, but when she did she tensed.

"Oh my god." Was all the girl uttered, her eyes going wide as she traced over Rachel's appearance. "You're Rachel Berry... You're the lesbian everyone has been talking about!"

Her mouth went dry.

_Damn, words could sting._

She swallowed and turned back to her locker, grabbing her books in her right hand and slamming her locker quickly. She didn't even give the girl a second glance, instead, she headed off towards her classroom to sit in the back and slowly cry over what she had just heard.

* * *

><p>The bell rang and she tore her eyes up from her notebook to see the students filing out of the classroom.<p>

She couldn't go out there.

There was no way in hell she would go out there.

She waited patiently in her seat, trying not to avert attention to herself, when the old English teacher lifted her gaze from the front of the room and narrowed her eyes at Rachel.

"The bell rang." The old lady hissed. "Leave."

Someone was in a worse mood than she was.

Her thoughts were sour and she shot the lady a harsh look before packing her things up and slowly, very slowly, making her way to the door to leave the classroom. She could see people walking in each direction and she slowly tried to ease her way into the students, trying to blend in as much as possible as to not avert attention to herself.

And she almost made it.

Right as she turned to head into Spanish, a hand gripped her shoulder and she was spun around to met dark piercing eyes.

"Maybe if you would have given me a chance, your whole world wouldn't have come spiraling down now would it, dyke?" Noah seethed, his eyes held no signs of the shine they used to, instead they were dark and all she could see was her reflection staring back at her.

Her jaw dropped slightly at the use of such a nasty word and she narrowed her eyes slowly, trying not to break down in front of the boy because, that is just what he wanted.

She remembered just one week ago they had been cuddling on her bed watching the latest Marvel movie. Their legs were intertwined at the foot of her bed and Noah had one arm wrapped around her waist tightly, hugging her backside to his front. His prickly chin would occasionally rub against her cheek and he'd whisper a fact about one of the characters on the screen to her, just so she would be able to follow along with the movie. And she couldn't help but thinking that Noah deserved more credit for being such a sweet guy. No guy had made her feel that special since her and Finn had broken up and she couldn't help but thinking that if she didn't have feelings for Quinn, Noah would be the perfect guy for her.

But now looking at his cruel gaze, she found no traces of the boy in her room a week ago.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and gave him a forced smile before slowly turning and walking into the classroom.

* * *

><p>Hazel eyes bore into her brown ones.<p>

She stood frozen in her place in the doorway of the choir room.

Quinn was early to Glee.

Quinn was never early to Glee.

Like Quinn was doing, Rachel raked her gaze over the blonde's appearance, noting the girl didn't look much better than she did. Except the blonde had given some sort of attempt on her hair as it hung loosely off her shoulders.

If she weren't a deer caught in the headlights at the moment, she'd be moving to the back of the choir room, but she couldn't as Quinn's piercing eyes stayed glued to her.

She wanted to know what the girl was thinking.

After another beat, Rachel hesitatingly took a step into the room, but froze once again when Quinn cleared her throat.

"You lied." The blonde spoke, the expression on her face unreadable.

Rachel stared at the girl, trying to remain calm, but she felt her eyes widen and heat rush to her cheeks. She felt her hands clench into fists at her side and she felt herself teetering on her feet.

"You lied to me." Quinn said once more, but instead of directing it at Rachel she just muttered it into the air.

Rachel couldn't look away.

Quinn narrowed her eyes briefly, looking as if she were getting ready to say something more, but when Finn came lumbering in she whipped her gaze away and Rachel immediately relaxed.

She raced up the steps towards the back row of chairs in the room, sitting down quietly.

As the rest of the kids filed in, including Noah who glared at her, she tried to disappear into the wall.

Quinn didn't look at her again.

* * *

><p><strong>Why didn't you just tell me it was me?<strong>

_I knew how you would react._

**Well, Rachel, it kind of sucked hearing it from Puck... Of all people. And in a text message no less!**

_I'm sorry Quinn. I hope you know that. I'm really sorry._**  
><strong>

** Whatever. How many people knew?**

_Four. Including my dads. To clarify I didn't tell anyone for a long time. Kurt was the first to figure it out, he guessed. Then when I told my dads after that, they said they knew. And Noah guessed as well... I swear they were the only four that knew.  
><em>

**Well, just wow... I'm still in shock... I just can't believe you didn't tell me when I asked you.**

_I'm sorry that it was a little nerve wracking for me... Can I at least get a chance to explain myself? _

**I suppose so.**

_Okay, thank you... This will probably take me a while, so don't go anywhere, okay?_

**Yeah, whatever.**_  
><em>

_Okay, well... Before I begin, I just wanted to let you know I had no intention of hurting you, whatsoever. But I guess with me trying not to hurt you, I suppose I did anyway, and I'm really sorry for that. I developed feelings for you when we went to Columbus.. It was sudden and I hadn't been expecting it... At all. At the time, I still thought I was heartbroken over Finn, so imagine how freaked out I was when I felt butterflies in my stomach. I just remember when I looked at you, I felt my stomach erupt in butterflies and all I could think was that this could not be happening. It couldn't happen with you of all people. But it did, Quinn. And I'm sorry. If I could control my feelings, I promise you I wouldn't have chosen you... Anyway, after that we became friends and all and I considered not being your friend and ignoring you, but it didn't work out. I couldn't do that to you. I wouldn't do that to you. I promise you I never watched you change or anything wildly inappropriate like that. I'm not the type of person that would have ever done that, okay? And I just know that I wanted to protect you from anything, I wanted to hold you when you cried, I wanted to be there for you. I loved you like a friend did and I wanted to be there for you like a best friend and possibly more if you would have ever given me that chance. And when you told me about you and Finn I was just so angry with you I wanted to stop talking to you altogether. I knew you thought I was jealous of you because, of Finn but actually I was jealous of Finn because, he had someone as perfect as you as a girlfriend. But Quinn... I know it's hard for you, I understand. I know you must have gotten questions today, but imagine what it's like in my position. I basically got thrown out of the closet unwillingly and even worse, something I was trying to hide got torn away. I'm not comfortable with this part of myself yet but now I'm going to have to pretend like I am... So yes, I know it's hard for you. But it's hard for me too. And one last thing I'd like you to consider, I'm still the same Rachel that saw Little Fockers with you and that helped you when you were depressed about Noah. I'm still the same Rachel that you fought over a stupid paint marker with. I'm still the same Rachel who took care of you after you got drunk. I'm still the same Rachel who held your hand when you thought you were going to fall roller skating. I'm still the same Rachel that was SO proud when you got to sing with Sam at the homeless shelter. I'm still the same Rachel. Nothing has changed since I told you last night. I'm still the same me. And.. I guess, I'm just really sorry. I'm sorry._

**That was a little much, Rachel.**

_...I was just trying to get my point across._

**You got it across.**

_I'm sorry...  
><em>

**Yeah..**_  
><em>

_Quinn, I said I'm sorry.  
><em>

**I know.**_  
><em>

_...Where do we stand? _**  
><strong>

**Just... Give me some time... To adapt.**

_Take all the time you need._

* * *

><p><em>"Why did you do it, Rachel?" Her voice sounds small and vulnerable and her face is flushed. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth? I might have understood!" <em>

_Rachel can't help but snorting and rolling her eyes. She leans back against her bed, her eyes tracing over the blonde who sat in her desk chair. "Yeah, right." _

_"I would have!" The blonde defended, leaning forward and glaring at the brunette. _

_"No," Rachel corrects her, rolling her eyes, "you would have done just this. You would have been ashamed of me. You would have turned into what your parents always wanted you to be Quinn. And that's a good little Christian girl that hates all gay people, including one of her best friends. It's stupid Quinn!" Rachel hisses. "It's stupid. You know if I could change my feelings I would, but I can't! It's impossible. And I'm sorry I hurt you, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?" _

_Quinn's face is unreadable as she sits back in Rachel's desk chair. She slowly brings her legs up and wraps her arms around them, dropping her chin to one of her knees. "Is that all?" _

_Rachel lets out a slow chuckle, swinging her legs out from underneath her and laying her feet against the hardwood floor. "No," She mumbles, "I hate rejection. And I know you would have rejected me."_

_The blonde raises her eyebrows and is immediately shaking her head. "You don't know that." _

_"I do, actually. You've proven to me numerous times you're not gay." Rachel sighs, shaking her head slowly._

_"Maybe I'm not gay," Quinn admits, releasing her arms from around her shins and dropping her feet onto the ground. She slowly shifts in the chair and drags it over to sit in front of Rachel. "Maybe, I'm not gay or bisexual... But maybe I'm," The blonde pauses and her bottom lip is pulled in between her teeth sexily. "Maybe I'm Berrysexual."_

_Rachel's breath catches in her throat and her eyes widen. _

_She stares at the blonde, whose eyes are twinkling with amusement._

_She knits her eyebrows together slowly and leans forward, testing the waters of where she stood with the blonde. When she moves closer, the blonde doesn't even flinch, just widens her smile. Rachel purses her lips to the side and feels the goosebumps crawl up her back. She slowly raises her right hand and brings it closer to the blonde's face, examining as Quinn watches the movement._

_She slowly brings her hand up to brush the blonde's hair back behind her ear, letting her hand follow. Her thumb naturally rubs against the girls cheekbone in a romantic gesture and Rachel can feel her heart rate accelerating._

_And before she even knew what she was doing, she was leaning closer to the blonde's face, breathing in the same air as Quinn was. _

_She heard the blonde's breath catch and she couldn't help but tighten her grip on the comforter she was holding in her left hand, slowly letting her lips brush against Quinn's, almost so softly she wasn't even sure she had actually kissed the blonde._

_But when Quinn sighed, leaning forward and pressing her lips firmly against Rachel's, the brunette knew she had actually done it._

_The kiss was slow and the blonde's lips were smooth against hers. Unlike the other times they had kissed, Rachel felt like she had time in the palm of her hands and she didn't feel the need to rush along their kissing. Instead, she moved her lips gently against Quinn's, letting her left hand release the comforter and reach for the blonde's hip, very subtly, pulling the girl closer to her. _

_She felt fingers tangle in her hair and she sighed into the kiss, very slowly, opening her mouth and letting the tip of her tongue trace along the blonde's bottom lip, which earned a gasp of approval from the blonde. _

_The fingers that were gripped into her hair, dug in tighter and pulled her closer. She felt the blonde tilt her head to the right and opened her mouth, tentatively flicking her tongue out along Rachel's. She let out a hushed groan from the back of her throat and broke away from the kiss, peeling her eyes open to see the blonde's usual hazel eyes, darker than ever before. _

_The blonde's lips were wet and Rachel barely had any time to take a second breath before Quinn was back, yanking her lips forcefully back to hers._

_Her eyes closed and she dropped both of her hands to rest against the blonde's waist, pulling the girl closer to her and the blonde grunted, pulling her lips away for a fraction of a second before kicking the chair backwards, not even bothering to look where it was going, before climbing onto the brunette's lap, her knees straddling the girls thighs._

_In no time the blonde gently nudged the girls head aside and brought her lips down to kiss a path along Rachel's jaw. The feeling was overwhelming and Rachel couldn't help but clutching the fabric of the girls shirt tighter. And when the tiny sliver of moisture was flicked alongside the underside of her jaw, she let out a hushed moan, her eyes shutting at the feeling. _

_She felt the blonde's lips pull up into a smile as her kisses continued down the length of the brunette's neck._

_"Quinn," Rachel husked, her voice unnaturally deep, "what are we doing?" _

_The blonde didn't answer right away, instead she made a path back up towards Rachel's jawline, kissing roughly against the brunette's smooth skin. She kisses all the way back to her ear and when she feels the blonde's warm breath breathing down the back of her neck, she shivers, pulling the girl closer. _

_"We're just feeling, Rach. Just go with it. But first," The blonde husked and Rachel froze beneath the girl when a pair of teeth nibbled on her earlobe. "I'm going to show you how much you mean to me."_

_Rachel couldn't help the intense shivers that tingled up her back and she bit down on her bottom lip to hold back the moan that was bubbling in her throat. She could feel Quinn's lips pulled up into a smirk and she could imagine the smug way the blonde would be looking at her if they were staring at each other, but her mind was cleared from all smugness when Quinn smashed their lips together once again in a heated kiss._

_Rachel's fingers itched to nudge the girls navy blue shirt out of the way, but she managed to be appropriate and instead, dropped her palms down to rest on the blonde's smooth thighs, reveling in the feeling that was Quinn Fabray._

_The blonde pried Rachel's mouth open with her own and wasted no time stroking her tongue along Rachel's languidly. _

_Rachel could taste Quinn's breath. It tasted like citrus fruit and she just wanted to be enveloped in it. _

_She wanted long slick fingers knuckle deep inside of her and that breath filling her mouth as she panted out the little bit of air she had left in her chest._

_Quinn nipped at Rachel's bottom lip twice before pulling away, removing her fingers from the brunette's locks and trailing them down her front. _

_Rachel watched the girl with lust filled eyes, observing the fact that the sweet, innocent Quinn she loved deeply was no longer in the room. In her place was the kinky side of the girl most people never saw. And Rachel was exhilarated that she got to see this side of the girl. Her dark eyes were filled with hunger and her lips pulled up into a smirk, she slowly ran her pointer finger along the hem of Rachel's shirt._

_"I want you to tell me what you want." Quinn husked, licking her bottom lip teasingly as she inched her finger higher on Rachel's stomach until she was tracing along the girl's belly button._

_Rachel's eyes widened at the statement and she felt heat rush to her cheeks. _

_The blonde couldn't be serious._

_But Rachel knew Quinn was perfectly serious with the way the blonde's eyes held a challenge._

_"I-I," She had no clue where to start, "can I have a kiss?" _

_Quinn smirked and leaned forward, removing her hand from underneath Rachel's shirt, which earned a gasp of disapproval from the blonde. But when the blonde's lips fell on hers, Rachel forgot what she had been upset about. Quinn cupped her face in both of her hands and as Rachel's eyes fluttered close and Quinn's lips moved softly against hers, she felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. _

_With a single touch the blonde could have her heart spouting wings and flying out of her chest. With a single look the blonde could have her stomach erupting in millions of butterflies. In ways she talked, she had Rachel's panties soaked and in desperate need of a changing. She was infatuated with the woman sitting on her lap. She was captivated by this girl to the point that if the blonde asked her to jump off a cliff, she'd probably do it._

_Quinn placed one more long, lingering kiss on her lips before pulling away and dropping her hands to the brunette's shoulders. _

_"Sit back." She ordered and Rachel hesitated, but when she saw the blonde's eyebrow raise she begrudgingly fell back onto the bed, scooting backwards so her head hit a pillow. _

_She watched as Quinn crawled up her body, her hands beside her face and her knees on either side of the girls hips. _

_"What else do you want, Rachel?" Quinn murmured, dropping her head down to kiss the dip of the brunette's shoulder and neck. _

_"I-I don't know." She gasped, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip at the feeling of Quinn's teeth nipping at her collarbone as her lips trailed further down towards the sloping neck of her shirt._

_"Baby," Quinn sighed, raising up on her forearms and giving Rachel a skeptical look, "how can I give you what you want if you don't tell me what you want?" _

_Rachel stared at her for a beat longer and she realized what the whole angle Quinn was going for. Quinn liked control. That was clear as day considering the blonde had been a bully and top Queen at McKinley for a good two years. But in that moment, with Quinn's eyes gleaming with amusement, she could see the need for power hidden beneath them. _

_As much as Rachel wished the roles were reversed and that she was the one controlling Quinn, she knew that dream wouldn't come true for a long time._

_She needed to let Quinn be in control._

_Her time would come later._

_And the idea of being totally powerless underneath the blonde was a huge turn on._

_"Can," Her voice is shaky and she curses herself for the obvious nerves, "can you take off my shirt?"_

_She heard Quinn's throaty chuckle above her and when she met the blonde's gaze, the girl was smiling from ear to ear. "Well of course I can, baby!" Her voice is teasing and she drops down to place a chaste kiss on the girls lips before her hands are back in their previous position, slowly sliding up her stomach, her fingertips grazing Rachel's abdomen._

_Not a minute has passed before Rachel's shirt is finally off and Quinn is halfway down her body, kissing the brunette's ribcage, her tongue swiping out every few seconds. _

_"What else?" Quinn's voice had dropped to a low whisper._

_Rachel felt her heart skip a beat either due to the fact that Quinn's voice was so low or that the girls hands had skimmed along the edges of her bra._

_"Touch me." She pleaded, dropping her gaze down to the blonde hair that was covering those eyes she desperately wanted to see._

_Rachel released the grip she had on the sheets of her bed and brought her hands down to smooth the blonde's hair back. She couldn't help but moaning when the blonde looked up from kissing the top of her belly button._

_The blonde looked like she wanted to eat her._

_Pun intended._

_"Where do you want me to touch, Rachel?" Quinn breathed, bringing her lips north and Rachel held her breath as the blonde eyed her bra for a few seconds before completely skipping over her breasts and kissing her collarbone once again._

_This teasing was killing her._

_She swallowed and gripped Quinn's hands that were holding the sides of her stomach and brought them up to her breasts slowly, unsure. "Here." She squeaked._

_Rachel was for sure she saw a flash of annoyance in Quinn's eyes. _

_"Say it, Rachel." _

_Simply with the way the blonde's fingertips twitched against her bra-clad breasts and the way the girls eyebrows were pulled together and tiny bead of sweat that was on Quinn's forehead was enough for Rachel to shut her eyes and slowly mutter out what the blonde wanted._

_"My breasts, Quinn." She said, her voice just barely above a whisper. "I want you to touch my breasts."_

_She peeled her eyes open again to see Quinn staring down at her chest hungrily. She watched as Quinn's tongue flicked out between her lips and the girl bit down on her bottom lip. The blonde's fingers danced along her stomach, to her sides, and finally she rested her left palm on Rachel's lower back and gently put enough pressure for Rachel to raise up, allowing Quinn's other hand to slip to her bra clasp and with slow, skilled fingers slowly undid the clasp and watched as the straps fell limply down her shoulders._

_With a feather light touch, Quinn's fingers are swooping underneath the straps of her bra and slowly trailing them down her arms. Rachel lifts up her arms and as the straps pass her wrists and the bra is thrown carelessly on the ground somewhere in her room, she feels a blush tinting her cheeks as the blonde stares down at her._

_Simply with the way the blonde was staring at her, had her nerves running high and she instinctively raised her arms to cover herself but before her biceps could cross in front of her breasts, a pale hand was shooting out and gripping her elbow._

_"Hey, don't," Quinn's voice was still husky, but instead of the forceful tone she had been using a few minutes prior, she was using a smooth, promising tone, "you are beautiful, Rachel. And-" Rachel watched as the girl's throat bobbed, "And I want to see you." _

_Rachel blinked once before slowly uncovering her arms from across her chest and instead pushed her elbows into the mattress and raised up, placing a soft kiss against the blonde's lips. "I want that too." She breathed, moving her lips to kiss against the blonde's cheek._

_She heard Quinn's soft chuckle and she was gently pushed back into the bed by Quinn's hand on her shoulder. "I know what you want. You told me." Quinn mused. "And I plan on following through, Rach." _

_Rachel had no time to react to what the blonde had said before one of her nipples was being tugged in between Quinn's forefinger and thumb roughly. She arched her back into the touch and threw her head back against the pillow, crying out softly, surprised that she could be so aroused by a simple touch._

_As Quinn tested the waters, kneading the brunette's breasts roughly and then gently, Rachel managed to raise her eyes to the girls face. The blonde was so concentrated on what she was doing that Rachel couldn't help but feel turned on that the girl wanted to pleasure her to the full extent._

_And it also made her insides turn warm at the sight of affection laced beneath Quinn's eyes. Although it was masked with quite a bit of lust._

_"Not trying to boost your ego here," Quinn grunted, "but you have the most glorious body I've ever seen." _

_Rachel couldn't help but feeling proud. Quinn couldn't say that and not expect her ego to be boosted._

_In fact it almost made her slightly more confident._

_"And to think you haven't seen my whole body yet." She challenged._

_Quinn's eyes immediately shot to hers and she suddenly regretted challenging the girl. _

_"Whose in charge here?" Quinn growled, her lips pulling down into a sneer._

_Holy shit._

_God, why did she have to open her mouth?_

_"You are?" She squeaked and then moaned as Quinn dropped her head to her breasts, pulling her right nipple into her mouth roughly._

_The blonde obviously wasn't going to take Rachel's smart ass mouth anymore and Rachel knew it as soon as the girls teeth sank down into her nipple. She gasped loudly, her hand reaching down to tug at the blonde's short hair and running her fingers along the girls scalp, trying to stop her eyes from rolling all the way back in her head. The blonde rolled her tongue over the other girl's nipple, her other hand moving down past her ribs and squeezing a particulary sensitive spot on the girl that made her hips thrust north, a loud moan escaping her lips._

_She was so horny. _

_And her pants were on still._

_With difficulty, she pried her eyes open and glanced down to watch as the blonde kissed the valley in between her breasts, letting her tongue flick out slowly before giving her left nipple the same treatment, her palm cupping her other breasts and kneading it gently. _

_Quinn raised her dark eyes to Rachel and the brunette couldn't help but biting down on her lip at the sight. _

_"Say my name." Quinn husked, pulling her lips away from her nipple with an audible pop before sliding up her body and proceeding to attack Rachel's neck. "Say my name." The blonde ordered letting her teeth scrap along Rachel's sensitive pulse point._

_"Q-Quinn." Rachel whined. _

_"Say it like you mean it." The blonde said more forcefully, sinking her teeth down into the dip of Rachel's collarbone, before slowly letting her tongue run out over the skin. _

_Quinn was marking her._

_Marking her._

_God, how come they hadn't done anything like this sooner?_

_"Quinn, oh my god, Quinn." Rachel moaned, tugging on the blonde's locks harder. "Fuck, I n-need-" She bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes rolling to the back of her head._

_The blonde pulled away slowly, leaning down and kissing Rachel forcefully, letting her tongue slip in between Rachel's lips. Rachel immediately complied and sucked down on Quinn's tongue, earning a moan from the blonde, and she reveled in the sound, untangling her fingers from Quinn's hair and moving down to grip at the blonde's side._

_"What do you need, baby?" Quinn crooned, pulling away and slowly sliding down Rachel's body, her fingers immediately heading for the button on her jeans._

_Rachel let out a shaky, struggling breath and sat up on her elbows. "I need you to fuck me." _

_Usually the simple sentence would have her an a embarrassed puddle on the ground but she couldn't care. She wanted Quinn. She needed her._

_Quinn's eyes glazed over and Rachel kept the intense gaze as she felt more than saw, Quinn's fingers flip the button on her jeans open. She grasped the zipper between her fingers and slowly pulled down, watching as Quinn glanced down to watch the movement. _

_"Keep talking to me, Rach." Quinn whispered, bringing her hands back up to grip the waistband of Rachel's jean and slowly dragging them south, watching the brunette's tan thighs become revealed to her. Rachel tried to keep her legs from shaking as the blonde's knuckles brushed against her outer thighs, her knees, her shins and finally past the toes on her feet. She was left a writhing mess, in just her underwear, on the bed, completely exposed for Quinn's eyes._

_"I-I" She husked out, sticking her tongue out to the side as Quinn boldly laid her tongue flat along her ankle and dragged north, leaving moisture along her shin as she kissed the inside of her kneecap. "I don't know what you want me to say right now." _

_Quinn didn't skip a beat as she nipped softly on the inside of Rachel's right thigh. "Say what you are feeling, babe." _

_"The thingss you are doing-" She whimpered, "it's making me so wet, Quinn. Almost embarrassingly. I can't even handle how you make me feel," She grunted as Quinn grazed her lips right over where she wanted her most and instead kissed the area right above her panty line, "how you make my body feel." She corrected slowly, hoping Quinn would move the whole show on the road because, she was getting incredibly antsy and she didn't know how much more of the teasing she could take._

_"Quinn, please." She struggled out as the blonde placed an open mouth kiss right on her lace underwear. "Please." _

_"What's the magic word?" Quinn teased, dipping her finger inside the underwear._

_"__**Now.**__" __Rachel finally croaked out, leaning up on her elbows. "Now is the fucking word, and you better get to taking my fucking underwear off now before I explode. So quit fucking teasing me and get to pleasing me." _

_Quinn's face went blank and her eyes noticeably widened and Rachel almost covered her mouth out of instinct but she couldn't when she felt her clit basically rubbing against the lining of her underwear. If the circumstances were reversed she'd be embarrassed but with Quinn having worked her up, she basically just wanted to slap the blonde across the face and tell her to get her shit together. Scratch that, instead of slapping the blonde, she really just wanted to thrust her fingers inside Quinn and bring the girl on the brink of ecstasy._

_A beat later, Quinn's face tore up into a grin and without a second thought she slowly yanked the brunette's lace underwear down her legs and allowed Rachel to kick them off her ankle._

_Quinn's eyes traced up her legs and stopped to stare at the glistening sight in front of her and she watched as a pink tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip and Rachel pulled her legs together to try and create some friction. She needed something!_

_The blonde swung forward and placed her one knee between Rachel's legs and the other beside Rachel's right thigh. She sat straight up for a second, dropping her hands to find Rachel's and quickly intertwined their fingers together._

_"Quinn," Rachel tried not to sound too whiny but it was almost impossible, "as much as I am all for romance, I'm incredibly turned on right now and I'd really like it if you'd get to touch-" _

_She was cut off by soft lips moving against hers and she couldn't help but sigh, the complaint dying in her throat as she kissed the blonde back just as softly. Quinn's lips were smooth and not rushed, it was more one of those passionate kisses that made Rachel's heart flutter. And with Quinn's thumbs stroking over hers, the feeling was intensified. The blonde placed their joint hands besides Rachel's head, softly pushing their fingers into the mattress more and more as she leaned forward, inches away from Rachel's face._

_Quinn's eyes were searching hers, but Rachel had no clue for what. _

_"I love you." _

_Rachel blinked at the statement, her heart stopping altogether._

_"I love you too." _

_Quinn's lips pulled up at the corners before she swiftly dropped one more kiss on the brunette's lips. "Keep your hands here for now. But when you need to, dig them in my hair and pull because, I like having my hair pulled... Just for future reference." Quinn husked, immediately dropping her lips down to Rachel's pulse point, quickly making Rachel forget her question._

_Quinn's breath was shallow as she sucked on Rachel's neck, lightly sweeping her tongue out along the smooth skin to taste Rachel and whenever Quinn would lightly rumble beneath her, she immediately followed with her own moan._

_The blonde released her left hand from Rachel's right hand and quickly brought it down to cup her breast, squeezing it gently before bringing her fingers up to pinch the girls nipple. Rachel cried out a curse when the blonde rolled a nipple between her fingers, before slowly trailing her lips down her chest, making sure to nip at the sensitive dip in Rachel's collarbone, before finally kissing a swelled breast._

_Quinn then moved down to pull one nipple into her mouth hungrily. As the girl sucked the nipple into her mouth tightly, the moans filling her ears egged her on and she slowly raised her thigh up to graze Rachel's core and the brunette almost choked back a sob at finally being touched somewhat in the area she desperately needed._

_But she also became embarrassed when Quinn quickly pulled her head away from Rachel's chest and stared at the girl with dark eyes. _

_"Holy fuck, Rachel." Quinn groaned, licking her lips. "I'm pretty sure I just got you all over my thigh." _

_Rachel knew she had._

_And she was hoping the blonde wouldn't notice, but her luck never turned out for the better when it came to Quinn._

_"Sorry." She mewled, her voice rising to a whimper when the blonde repeated the action, putting more pressure on the girls core with her thigh._

_"Fuck, Quinn." _

_Quinn shook her head once, almost as if she was talking to herself before dropping her lips back down to Rachel's stomach, kissing the brunette's ribs, then the soft expansion of her belly before coming to a stop right where Rachel needed her most._

_She could feel the blonde's breath blowing on her and she couldn't help but clench her thighs together in anticipation. She still had her hands up beside her head, while she looked down at the blonde beneath her, who was eying her sex hungrily. The blonde slowly reached around her thighs and brought her legs up and over her shoulders so her heels landed against the blonde's shoulder blades. _

_Her breath caught in her throat when the blonde kissed the inside of her thigh._

_"Do you taste as good as you smell?" Quinn wondered aloud. When the brunette didn't answer, Quinn pinched her thigh and she squeaked loudly, quickly shaking her head up and down, just trying to encourage the blonde to do something._

_"Great." Was all Quinn muttered before finally diving in._

_After what seemed like hours of foreplay she was finally getting what she wanted._

_Quinn was fucking her._

_Correction - Quinn was eating her._

_Quinn laid her tongue flat along Rachel's pussy and slowly brought it north, moaning at the taste of the girl. Rachel was to lost in her thoughts to even wonder how she tasted.  
><em>

_Her head was thrown back against her pillow, a few stray pieces of her sticking to her forehead as she clutched the sheets beneath her fingers, moaning every single time Quinn would run her tongue along her. Quinn was way to good at this._

_Quinn sucked the brunette's clit into her mouth hungrily, before allowing her full lips to suck on the bud, her fingers curling into Rachel's thighs and pulling the girl as close as possible. Quinn could basically hear Rachel's thighs quivering beside her ears but she didn't care as she managed to pull her lips away for a fraction of a second._

_"Rachel, put your hands in my hair." _

_She wasted no time in diving back in to her meal._

_Rachel immediately complied and dug her fingers in the blonde's locks, yanking the girl closer to her pussy. A moan fell from the girls lips between her legs and the vibrations did wonderful things to Rachel and she felt herself gush even more into the blonde's mouth. Quinn uncurled one of her hands from around Rachel's thighs and brought it towards the girl, two fingers dipping into the wetness, which made Rachel thrust her hips north into the blonde's face even more._

_"You are so fucking good at this," Rachel moaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, "like seriously, fuck, so good, yes, yes, yes!" She repeated, shaking her head back and forth, stars beginning to appear behind her eyelids._

_Quinn moaned into the blonde, realizing that Rachel would yank her hair every time she did so, and Quinn really had a thing for getting her hair yanked. She delved her tongue into Rachel's entrance every few swipes before running her tongue back up towards Rachel's clit, sucking the nub into her mouth and gently running her teeth over it. She repeated this cycle until the brunette was on the edge, practically screaming her name._

_"More, yes, god, more!" She groaned, her toes curling and her heels digging into Quinn's shoulder blades._

_The blonde's hands went up to cup her breasts, squeezing the mounds in her palms gently, as she continued to swipe her tongue along Rachel's pussy. She began to twirl her tongue in certain ways that almost led Rachel to believe the blonde was spelling out something, but she couldn't decipher it between everything she was feeling._

_"Please, Quinn, fucking please!" She pleaded, needing just a little something more to allow her to tumble over the edge._

_Quinn moaned into her juices, pinching Rachel's nipples once before yanking her head away. "I want you to look at me when I make you come." To confirm her statement Quinn scraped her teeth along the brunette's clit earning a mewl from the girl.  
><em>

_Rachel peeled her eyes open, bringing her head up to look down at the blonde who immediately caught the brunette's heated gaze. _

_With the way the blonde was pinching her nipples and the way her tongue was swiping along her pussy and the way the blonde was just staring at her. She felt herself going, and the final push is when Quinn let her teeth scrape along her pussy and she was gone._

_"Fuck, yes, yes!" She screamed, not even caring if anybody in the world could hear her because, the girl she loved was making her have the best orgasm of her life.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Rachel!"<p>

She snapped her head up to the voice, her fork dropping and clattering against the bowl of salad she was eating.

She met the gaze of Hiram and Leroy Berry who were staring at her intently, their eyes filled with concern and worry.

"Huh?" She mumbled unintelligibly, her shoes scuffing against the tile floor and she slowly glanced around at her surroundings. They had been eating lunch on Saturday after a long, grueling week at school when Rachel had managed to escape into an alternate world where Quinn was pleasuring her to no end.

She must have looked like a zombie to her fathers, in that moment and throughout the week.

Every single day of that week after school she had came home and rushed up the stairs to her room, not even bothering to interact with her fathers. She would slam her door and that would be the only sound the fathers would hear of their daughter the entire day until the next morning when Rachel would wake up and trudge down the stairs to grab her breakfast.

But even at the breakfast table when either of them would try to make small talk, she'd either answer with a question or give a small statement, not giving the men anything to go by.

"Talk to us, honey." Hiram's eyes were filled with sympathy. His eyes were filled with sympathy and she wanted to grimace... His sympathy wouldn't do her any good.

"What your father means is..." Leroy growled, glancing at Hiram, "Quit avoiding us and tell us what's going on. I for one, am sick and tired of not knowing what's going on. Tell us what happened this week that has got out princess so upset. Is it Glee? Or worse, is it Quinn?"

Rachel's initial reaction was to roll her eyes, but instead she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and looked back down at her salad.

"God dammit, Rachel!" Leroy slammed his fist down on the table causing her to jump, not even at the sudden movement but at the curse. "Tell us what's going on!"

She stuttered, her eyes flickering between the two men that had raised her.

She'd tell them if she could!

She didn't even know what was going on.

"I-ugh, I just got in a fight with Quinn. That's all." She attempted at sounding reassuring but it came out flat and she looked down at her lettuce guilty.

It's not like she didn't want to tell her fathers, she did. She just didn't want their sympathy not yet.

This was one of those things she needed to handle on her own.

"What kind of fight?" Leroy pressed while Hiram shifted in his seat, trying not to seem as intrigued as he actually was.

Rachel blinked a few times, unable to decide if she should spill the beans on the whole thing. Instead, she picked up her fork and shoved the green plants on her plate around, suddenly feeling completely full. "We just got in a fight, I don't know."

"If you just got in a fight, you wouldn't be acting like this, Rach. We know that." Leroy continued to press, crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Dad!" She groaned in defeat.

"Just tell us what happened, honey. That's all we want." Hiram said soft, his arm disappearing underneath the table which Rachel presumed to be he was trying to calm down his partner.

Rachel swallowed and shifted her feet on the floor, turning her head to the left to stare at the counters of the kitchen.

She could feel jealousy churning. She had never been jealous of her fathers love but she was now.

They needed to repaint. The whole yellow theme of the kitchen was getting rather bland and boring.

But she supposed it didn't matter since she was going to be moved out of the house in less than four months.

"Quinn found out." She finally sighed, turning back to face her fathers patient eyes.

"She what?" Leroy squeaked, his eyes going wide while Hiram's jaw dropped beside him.

"Was it Mr. Patty Lapone that told?" Hiram quipped. "You know we love Kurt, but if it was the little turd we will castrate him!"

If she had a sense of humor left, she would laugh at the little joke, but instead she held a straight face and shook her head. "No, guys, it's not Kurt." She brought her hand up to her hair and pushed it back. She slowly slid out of her seat, leaving her fathers to sit and ponder over what she had just shared with them. She gripped her plate in one hand and brought it over to the sink, dropping the glass, and turning back to the kitchen table. She slowly walked over and shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds before dropping one hand to rest on the table.

"I don't want you two to worry about it. It's not going to matter in a few weeks anyway." She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant although she felt the lie crawling up her back. She couldn't even lie to herself anymore. She should be spending these last few weeks crying into her father's open arms because when she wanted them in the future, she wouldn't be able to get them because, she'd be in some dorm in New York. "Please don't press me on the matter either, this is something I'd much rather deal with on my own. I love you both and you know I'd tell you more if I was more comfortable with the whole scenario but I'm not. In fact, I'm quite miserable and I'd really appreciate it if you'd quit harassing me on the matter. In exactly three weeks, Quinn won't matter." _Lie. _"I'll be graduating high school and she will be a distant memory. It's time I grow up and realize I will have a better chance of being successful without crushing over some girl. I'm attempting to be mature here." She dragged out, flickering her gaze between the two men who stayed silent through her whole speech. "If I need either of you, I can assure you I'll come running into your arms like the little girl I once was... But you both have to understand this, I'm growing up." She slowly walked the short distance to wrap her arms around her father shoulders, leaning down to kiss both of their cheeks quickly. "I'm not your little girl anymore. So let me deal with this on my own."

And with a final squeeze to her parents shoulders she turned on her heel and trudged up to her room to spend another day lost in her thoughts of Quinn and what could have been.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N - **Hello everyone! Before you begin with this chapter, I just wanted to say a few things. This chapter will deal with some bullying. So on that note, I'm going to give a little pep talk! If you are going through a hard time - whether it be at school or at home, remember stay strong! Even though you may hear it a lot, it really does get better. It takes time and patience, but if you stay strong, things will work out for the best. You are not alone. There are people in your life that love you and care about you, and they want you to remain safe. And on a final note, if anybody ever needs somebody to talk to, feel free to private message me and I'll listen! And if you don't want to talk to a person, there is an amazing website that has helped me through my fair share of bad thoughts. The Quiet Place is a great place to relax and to get your mind off things - and it has got quite a few sister sites that deal with the same type of issues. So in conclusion - remember the power motto, it gets better!

Anyway, now that my little speech is done, I would like to say thank you, as always, for all the support this story has received. And starting July 15th, I will be gone for two weeks on vacation and I won't be able to post anything until I get back! I apologize in advance.

Enjoy!

**Chapter Seventeen: **

The words changed everyday.

Some days it was dyke, others it was homo, but by far her least favorite term that she had gotten called was faggot.

If she still managed to maintain a sense of humor, she would have even laughed at what one boy called her a day before.

Rachel had been casually heading out towards her car after another endless school day of bullying. She was no longer able to pay attention to her classes, which was a bad thing, considering finals were throughout the week. She needed a good final report in order to give a good impression off to the school board at NYADA when she transferred there that fall... And her results weren't looking that good.

She had gotten slushied three times that day. But she didn't even bother changing after her second outfit had been destroyed, in fear that she would just get slushied again. Her instincts were correct and she had managed to get slushied one more time before the last bell rang. And to top it off she had been shoved into a locker twice by some of the jocks and gotten her shoulder bumped into numerous times by members of the Cheerios.

She had been putting the key in her car to unlock it when she felt hands grip her shoulders, whipping her around roughly. She was shoved into her car door and some boy she figured to be one of Noah's disciples, glared at her with humor laced in his eyes. When he pressed his body up against hers, she tensed, preparing herself for the worst.

"Hey carpet muncher." He had chuckled, pulling her towards him and teasing her by peppering her face with kisses.

She had whined in discomfort and the boys expression quickly changed. His face pulled down into a frown and he gripped her shoulders so roughly, she was nearly positive his fingers would be bruised into her skin. "Fucking fag, you need to learn your place here... I hope you rot in hell for acting the way you act. Homos deserve to die." He seethed, narrowing his eyes before shoving her once more into the car and slowly backing away.

She had swallowed the lump in her throat as she watched him walk away, his arms swinging at his sides as if he didn't just harass her.

_Carpet muncher? _

She wondered where people came up with such derogatory terms now a days.

Noah had begun recruiting members into his_ 'I Hate Rachel Berry' _fan club. They would roam the halls every passing period in search for her, slushies clutched tightly in their hands. Their stalking had gotten so bad that she had run to the bathrooms to lock herself away until the bell rung, alerting the students to get to their classes. But even that backfired on her after the second day. She had been locked away in a stall when she heard the sound of shoes squeaking and before she had time to look underneath the door to see who it was, she felt cold grape fruit ice poured onto her head and the sound of two feminine voices giggling and chanting out, _"Fagberry!"_ as they exited the bathroom.

Every time Noah would approach her, she hoped the boy would be coming up to apologize rather than actually do what he was doing. Every ounce of hope faded each time a slushy would cover her face and she'd be left running her arm over her cheeks to wipe away the ice cubes and tears that were beginning to fall. And every time, disappointment just filled her when she looked up to Noah's pitch black eyes.

Kurt called her every night.

She never answered though.

She didn't know what to say to him.

He obviously knew she was going through a lot of pain and hardship and she knew he was just trying to be the best friend he always was, but she just couldn't drag him into her problems like that. She didn't want to.

He would confront her everyday before Glee but she barely heard him. Instead, she was zeroed in on what was going on behind his shoulder where Quinn would be cuddling up to Finn. She would always have one arm stroking his face, or running through his hair, while her other hand would grip his shirt and pull him closer. He would have one arm draped over the back of her chair and the other gripping her waist tightly and then they would kiss and Rachel would feel vomit crawling up her throat, but never forcing it's way out of her mouth. And it was even worse when she occasionally saw a sliver of tongue... Quinn's tongue that is.

It made her want to sprint out of the room and find a rather large hole that she could live in for the rest of her life.

Quinn never looked at her anymore.

Not since the day she had walked into the choir room and Quinn had accused her of lying.

She hadn't gotten a text, a glance, anything.

She figured she deserved this. She knew if any of this were to happen, Quinn wouldn't talk to her. But she couldn't help but being so disappointed.

She yearned to talk to Quinn like she used to. She wanted to confide in the girl, but simply knowing she couldn't pained her. The one person she wanted to talk to, didn't want to talk to her.

As she stared at the ceiling her arms folded on her stomach, she felt her phone vibrate beside her. She blinked, turning her head to glance down at the lit up screen. She unlaces her right hand from her left and touches one of the buttons on her phone to reveal the text message that lights up her screen.

**Rach... Please talk to me, I'm worried about you.**

She feels guilty pushing Kurt away, just like she does her fathers.

But she knew it was for the best.

She shook her head slowly and exhaled loudly, lacing her hands back together and tracing her eyes over every crevice in her ceiling.

She had tried studying an hour earlier but after twenty minutes of numerous failed attempts, she dropped her pencil on her desk and got up from her chair. She had walked around her room slowly, examining what remained on her walls. There were a few family photos still framed hanging up above her bed and dresser. The surface of her dresser was cleared except for the mirror that was propped up against it. All the lava lamps and CD's that had once graced the white oak were no longer there. Instead, they were packed away in boxes on the floor of her room marked for NYADA. To clear her mind off of everything that had been going on, she had packed. Her room looked empty and ghostly. It wasn't the room she had grown up in. Her yellow walls were blank and depressing and she wished she had put off packing just a little while longer so she didn't feel so lonely in her own childhood room.

Her bed still was friendly with three stuffed animals lining up next to her pillows, but other than that, nothing was the same.

She was growing up.

It seemed like life was moving so fast... Her life was moving so fast.

She was in a marathon. And so was everyone else in her life. The finish line was the future. She was racing towards it at a dead sprint, while everyone else around her was walking. No one else, except her, was ready to start their future.

After this week she would be graduating from high school and in a month and a half she would be in New York, living her dreams. She would be off on her own, the big city looming mysteriously in front of her. It was nerve wracking but intriguing to think about.

Her life as a kid, as a teenager, was spiraling to an end and she was spending the last few weeks of it miserable.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone vibrated again. She grunted, turning her head to the side and once again tapping the button to open the message.

**Rachel, baby gurl, Kurt is getting worried about you. **

She scans over the text message twice before actually checking to see who it was from.

Mercedes.

She assumed Kurt was with the girl and she rolled her eyes. She pressed her knuckles down on the mattress and quickly swiped the phone off the bed. The device landed on the hardwood floor with an audible thump.

She rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillows, letting out a high pitched grunt.

Couldn't anyone just leave her alone?

* * *

><p>Rachel takes a deep breath, gripping the door handle to the bathroom, wondering if it was safe to walk out into the hallway. With already one slushy thrown at her face today, she didn't want another one.<p>

She slowly pulls the handle towards her as the door opens and she sees kids walking away and towards her. She glances out to see if any of her tormenters are in sight. But with no Cheerios, or mow hawked boys in sight she tentatively takes a step out into the open, feeling completely vulnerable.

She turns right, taking her first steps down the hallway, immediately blending in with the kids at McKinley and only receiving a few lingering glances from the kids. But within seconds of walking out, she is immediately intercepted, thankfully by someone she can trust, Kurt.

"We need to talk." He commands, tightening his grip on her wrist and yanking her to step in beside him.

She blinks and swallows rather loudly, dropping her gaze to the floor as she walks with him. She feels two bumps into her shoulder but she ignores it, glancing up at the boy whose hair is groomed to perfection and has on a Marc Jacobs jacket. His hand is ghostly white against her wrist and she licks her lips. As they come to a halt at in intersecting hallway, he drops her hand and turns to face her, his blue eyes revealing nothing but sympathy and concern in them.

"Rachel," He murmurs, "tell me what's going on. I've been worried."

She flickers her gaze back and forth between his eyes.

She was speechless.

After realizing she wasn't going to answer, Kurt's shoulders dropped drastically. He brought his hands up to grip her shoulders. He rubs his arms up and down in an attempt to be soothing, but she feels awkward and uncomfortable at the touch and at the way he is scrutinizing her.

"Rachel," He says tenderly, "please? I want to be here for you, but I can't if I don't even know what's going on."

Her eyebrows raise slightly. Her chocolate eyes search his, but she can't find anything that makes her want to tell him.

But when her eyes catch something over his shoulder she figures she won't have to tell him anything, he could see for himself.

Noah is making his way towards them, his chest out and his fists clenched tightly at his side. She watches the laces on his hiking boots jump on the ground with every step he takes and she can't help but wishing the boy would just fucking tie his shoes!

Everyday the boys shoe laces would always be untied and she'd want to cry in agony, but she couldn't. She risked even more taunts from him if she spoke.

But she doesn't have time to think about it when Kurt is being pushed to the side and Noah is coming to a stop in front of her.

She doesn't even search for any light in his eyes.

She knows there is none.

Noah's lips pull up into a tainted smirk and he brings his hand up slowly, three of his fingers moving to push her hair behind her ear.

She immediately cringes away and Noah's face hardens.

Without a second to fully comprehend what happens Noah has a painful grip on her shoulders and she is pushed up against the nearest row of lockers.

"I think maybe I need to teach you a little lesson." Noah grits his teeth, his eyebrows knitted together.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees Kurt's eyes widen and the boy immediately steps forward, slapping Noah on the shoulder, enough to divert the boys attention for a brief second.

"Puck! Stop it!" Kurt hisses, his eyes wide in disbelief.

And for a fraction of a second, Rachel see's a bit of light laced in Noah's eyes.

"Kurt, get out of here." He whispers slowly. "I don't want to hurt you."

And there was the Noah she had liked.

Noah had stopped picking on Kurt junior year and the two had become acquaintances. But Rachel could only imagine what was going through Kurt's mind as he stared at the bulking boy in front of him.

Kurt immediately tenses at the comment and continues to stand there, unmoving. From Rachel's point of view it looks as if the two are having a heated discussion through their eyes, but when Noah turns back, there is no light flickering in them anymore.

Instead, he's leaning forward, his lips nearing Rachel's ear and she shivers in fear.

"Puck!" That was all Kurt managed to get out before he is shoved on the ground from Noah flinging his arm out to stop the boy.

"Kurt I told you to stay the fuck out of it!" Noah growled, still having one hold on Rachel tightly. "Now get the fuck out of here!"

The boy quickly turns back to Rachel and his expression hardens and he returns to leaning forward, his lips brushing against her earlobe. "I think I'm going to have to teach you how to be straight. How do you suppose I do that, Fagberry?"

Rachel swallowed, closing her eyes when she feels teeth nip at her earlobe.

She doesn't like it.

She feels disgusting.

"Leave me alone." Her voice quavers and she feels tears prick her eyes.

"Maybe you need a man to fuck you." Noah continued, ignoring Rachel's pleas.

She shakes her head slowly, pretending as if the whole situation weren't happening.

She expects the worse, but when Noah removes his hands and smooths down the spot he had been gripping, she visibly relaxes.

"I'll be watching you, Berry." Noah finally grunts and walks away, his hips swaying and Rachel watches, her heart racing in her chest and goosebumps raising on her forearms.

She had no clue someone could be so cruel.

She smoothed down her hair and glanced around to see a few people watching her intently. And finally her eyes landed on Kurt whose eyes were wide in fear, similar to hers.

"Just... Don't worry about it Kurt." She murmurs slowly, giving him one more look over before taking off down the hallway to her next class.

* * *

><p>"<em>Can you please send Rachel Berry down to the principal's office?<em>" A voice echoed through the intercom in her Trigonometry class.

Rachel glances up from the doodles she had been sketching out on the side of her notebook paper up to the speaker. She squints, wondering what in the world the office would want to do with her.

"Miss Berry, come get your pass." Her teacher announced.

She sighs, begrudgingly lifting up and out of her chair and padding to the front of the room, trying to ignore the eyes that were burning holes into the back of her head.

She glances at her teacher who was holding out her pass and she gives him a soft smile as she takes it and clutches her books tighter to her chest. She slowly walks out the classroom and takes a left, moving in the direction of the front office. She passes classrooms and as she walks by she glances into them, seeing kids ranging from every grade level, working on whatever assignment for the class they were in. And as she walked she couldn't help but wanting to be someone else, just for a few days. Just to get over the initial shock of everything that was going on in her life.

She slowly comes to a halt in front of the glass office. McKinley had two offices. One for the secretary and the other for the principal. They were both glass, so Rachel could see the old secretary sitting at her desk, jotting down notes.

When she moves her eyes towards Mr. Figgins office though, she freezes on spot.

Through the glass she can see Mr. Figgins, sitting at his desk, with his hands folded on top of the oak. Miss Pillsbury is sitting on the arm of the couch, some sheets of paper in her hands. And sitting next to her is a resource officer she had seen around the building a few times, but never got the pleasure of knowing. And finally her eyes landed on a head of blonde hair, facing away from her and she truly hoped it wasn't Quinn.

She wasn't quite sure how she would react if it was.

She was still staring at the head of blonde hair when she spots a harsh movement out of the corner of her eye. She glances at the secretary who nudges her head to the side. Rachel's face falls and she slowly opens the door, giving the lady a polite smile before walking to the other office. She opens the door slowly and before she knows it, four pairs of eyes are staring at her.

"Miss Berry, please have a seat." Mr. Figgins says softly, his voice confirming her suspicions of why she was there.

Someone had told the office she had been a victim of bullying. Or that she was going through some trouble. She couldn't really care at the moment, instead she stood frozen in her spot, her eyes flickering between the wall behind Mr. Figgins and the windows that lit up the office.

At least she knew why Miss Pillsbury and the resource officer where there.

Hidden in her hands, Rachel could see the redheaded counselor had pamphlets... Lots of them. She trails her eyes up to the woman's own orbs and notices those dove eyes were wide with concern but promise.

And finally she came back to the head of blonde hair, relaxing visibly when it wasn't Quinn.

Instead, it was Sam Evans.

And he was sporting a gruesome bruise on his left cheekbone.

Her eyes immediately widened and the boy's lips pulled up into a sad smile and he gave her a tentative wave.

Now she wasn't quite sure why she was in the office. What had happened? Was this a set up to get her to spill the beans? Was Sam Evans involved in some sort of Fight Club? And if so, why was she here? Why was Sam there?

Her thoughts were reeling, but they were interrupted when a throat cleared and she glanced up to see Mr. Figgins staring at her, his eyebrows cocked.

She made her way to the chair beside the boy and as she descended into the seat, she cocked one eyebrow up at him and he swallowed visibly.

_'I'll explain everything later.' _He mouthed, before facing away from her and turning back to Mr. Figgins who was staring at the two of them expectantly.

"Miss Berry," He said calmly, leaning back in his desk chair, "how have you been?"

She gulps, glancing at the people in the room. On instinct, her right hand comes down onto her knee and she begins to trace soothing patterns on her leg, an in attempt to calm herself. But with everyone's piercing, concerned gazes on her, she couldn't calm down whatsoever.

Sam looked skeptical as he stared at the back wall, one eye halfway shut due to the wound on his face. Miss Pillsbury crossed her legs over one another and stared at Rachel intently, her eyebrows up and eyes wide. The resource officer had one of those parental figure roles plastered on her face. And finally, Figgins looked as if he were a little bit bored, but waiting for an answer.

"I'm fine." She answers quietly, glancing down at her lap.

"That's good, that's good." The principal nodded, glancing at the two other adults in the room and encouraging them to nod along with him. When they complied, he smiled, scooting closer to his desk and giving Rachel a more serious expression. "So, Miss Berry, has anything been going on that we should know about?"

She stares at the man trying to keep her expression unreadable.

"Am I in trouble or something?" She asks, chewing on her bottom lip.

The man stiffened shaking his head quickly, "No, no, no, of course not! We have just gotten some rather disturbing news concerning you."

His accent is beginning to annoy her.

"What kind of news?"

The man sighed and glanced at Miss Pillsbury, obviously hoping the woman would intervene. The redhead immediately shook her head frantically and pulled up a chair to sit by Rachel, giving her a sincere smile.

"Rachel, we've gotten some news that you've been being bullied. And as a staff it's our job to make sure the students at our school are safe, and that our students trust us enough to be able to tell us when something is wrong. We have sources confirming all of this, but we still would like a full statement from you, if you don't mind sharing with us?"

Rachel blinks.

Was this woman serious?

They cared about violence in the school?

Santana had slapped people in the face numerous times. Finn had even gotten in a couple of fights with Noah over something stupid. But none of these events ever made it into the office to discuss.

And now, of all times, they were choosing to get concerned.

She feels a hand fall down on top of hers and she glances to her left to see Sam smiling softly, understanding flashing through his eyes.

She almost wanted to scream at these people. Who did they think they were?

She had three adults here pretending to care about her problems, when in fact they were just doing their jobs. And Sam, a boy she had barely said three words to, was sitting beside her, pretending to understand what she was going through! And the boy had a black eye! What the hell?

"There's really nothing to tell." She says quietly, her gaze flickering between Miss Pillsbury's two eyes. "I've just had some trouble with a particular student and it will blow over considering we get out of here in two weeks. So I'm not making a big deal out of it."

"Rachel," She heard Sam breath out beside her but she ignores him as she stares at the woman in front of her challengingly.

"Rachel, I know you may not want to rat anybody out. But we know, okay? And the fact that you think getting threatened and shoved into lockers is not a big deal, is a huge concern to us. Rachel, you are a victim of bullying and we want to help you out. But we can't do anything if you don't tell us anything." The woman attempted to plead but it just came out as an annoying rant to Rachel.

"What is Sam even doing here?" She growls, whipping her hand out from underneath the boy's.

"Well," Mr. Figgins interrupted before the counselor could say anything. "Mr. Evans was caught in the middle of a fist fight today with one Noah Puckerman. He says he was doing a favor for a friend. He wouldn't tell us what friend, but he confronted Mr. Puckerman and the fight turned physical. Mr. Douglas here-" Mr. Figgins thrust his thumb towards the resource officer, "he pulled Mr. Puckerman off of the boy sitting next to you. A brave act by Samuel, but still wrong."

"Sam." The boy coughed, knitting his eyebrows together while staring at Mr. Figgins.

He was ignored.

Rachel cocks one eyebrow up, glancing at Sam out of the corner of her eye.

The boy had his lips pursed to the sides and was staring at Mr. Figgins. But he must have felt Rachel's gaze because, she slowly turned and met her glance. His expression became unreadable and she slowly shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Sam Evans, a boy she barely knew, defended her?

Well that was a rather sweet gesture.

But she couldn't acknowledge him. Not with three adults sitting in the room.

She sighs and glances back up at the three adults looking back at her. "Well, like I said earlier, it's not going to matter in two weeks..."

"Rachel," Miss Pillsbury scolded, "it doesn't matter if you are graduating soon. Noah admitted to bullying you and he is facing some serious consequences, but we can't do anything severe until we find out exactly what he did, and we can't find out exactly what he did until you tell us. So please, attempt to corporate."

The comment rubbed Rachel the wrong way immediately.

"Are you kidding me?" She growls, her eyebrows raising as she flickers her gaze between all the people in the room. "This is a bunch of idiocy! You sit here and tell me you guys care about your students, when this is the first time I've ever seen you actually take anything into your own hands! This isn't the first time I've been bullied at this school, but you are just now noticing these types of things? If I may say so as nicely as I can, are all of you so stupid? Jesus Christ, this is ridiculous." She immediately sits up and Sam moves to stand beside her but with a flick of her wrist and a stern look, the boy immediately sat back down.

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to you guys put on a speech about you _pretending _to care when in fact you don't! I don't need this and I don't need adults to tell me what to do. You could suspend Noah and I still guarantee that won't stop anything that's happening to me!" She hisses, preparing to move when a hand on her wrist stops her.

It was Sam's, but the voice that spoke was not his.

"Rachel, we care about your well bein-"

"Care? Since when do any of you care about me? I've talked to Figgins about three times in my whole career here at McKinley... I've spoken to Miss Pillsbury once, about Finn, no less. I don't even know you," She points at the resource officer and she finally rests her eyes on Sam. "You've said two words to me the whole time you've been in Glee Club. So don't give me the speech about you caring, none of you care and I'm not going to sit here and listen to any of you." And with a final flick of her wrist, releasing Sam's hand from her grip she storms out of the office.

She doesn't even glance at the secretary as she walks out of the office. She takes a harsh left, her thoughts racing. She plans on ditching school early and getting in her car and driving to some abandoned parking lot to just sit and cry for a few hours. Her mind is reeling over this when she collides with a warm, soft body.

"Oh shit!" She moans.

Only her day could get worse.

She glances down to see books sprawled on the tile floor. She groans and quickly bends at the knees, gathering the books up in her hand. She stands straight again, "Hey, sorry, I wasn't paying atte-" The comment dies in her throat as she freezes.

Hazel eyes meet hers.

"Rachel," Quinn breathed out softly, her blonde hair messier than usual, her makeup smokier than usual, but still just as beautiful.

The brunette is speechless in front of the girl and she stares at the blonde, feeling like she can finally breathe for the first time in two weeks. The blonde was studying her as well and by the few tears falling down Rachel's cheeks and the way she looked so disheveled had Quinn's eyebrows raising.

"Rach," The blonde breathed, a frown forming on her face, "what's wrong?"

_Rach._

How she had yearned to hear that simple nickname.

But today, she didn't want to hear it.

It could have been the whole week of bullying, it could have been the confrontation in the office, or it could have just been Quinn that made her blow up.

"Nothing, it's not like you care anyway." She practically hisses, walking by the blonde and not giving her a chance to complain as she walks down the hallway.

Just as she was about to turn the corner, she glances over her shoulder to see Quinn watching her retreating form with wide, sad, hazel eyes.

"Look," Rachel says exasperated, turning and staring at the girl who was watching her intently, "I'm sorry it was you, okay? I'm sorry out of everyone in the world, it had to be you. Maybe if you weren't so fucking loveable, I wouldn't have chose you, but I can't help it. I can't help it Quinn. I can't help how I feel. And I'm sorry it was you I feel in love with!"

And without a word, she retreats, leaving the blonde speechless behind her.

* * *

><p>She stormed into the house, slamming the front door behind her.<p>

As she turned into the front hallway, the sight of her fathers stops her.

Hiram was perched on the stairs while Leroy had his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

"Rachel, honey..." Hiram immediately cooed, standing and walking towards her but she backed away slowly.

"Guys..." She sighed. "Can we please not talk about this now? I promise we can discuss this later. I'm just... I'm really not in the mood." She breathed, averting her gaze. She couldn't look at them. She'd start crying for God knows how long.

She couldn't seem so weak.

"Rachel, I don't think that's a good idea." Hiram muttered, tentatively bringing one hand up to touch his daughter's shoulder.

"Hiram," Leroy's voice interrupted the scene before him, "maybe it's for the best. As long as she promises to tell us later."

Rachel immediately shook her head complying. She would do anything that would get her out of the awkward situation.

Leroy nodded, pulling his lips together in a tight line. "Okay, honey, you can go upstairs. But be warned, we got a call, so we know nearly everything and we will call you out if you lie to us."

She paused on the first step leading upstairs and glanced over her shoulder, swallowing. "I understand."

And with that she trotted up the stairs, happy to be alone.

* * *

><p>It takes her a total of ten minutes to decide whether or not she should text her.<p>

But she finally does.

Rachel pulled out her phone and quickly types in the name she never thought she would type in again. After she had typed out the message she had dropped the phone down next to her and impatiently waited for a reply.

_Hi Quinn... I don't really expect you to answer this message but I just wanted to apologize for how I reacted to seeing you earlier. Let's just say I had just got out of a position I really didn't want to be in, so I'm sorry if I took some of my anger out on you._

**It's okay, Rachel. **

_I'm sorry._

**Trust me... I know you are. You only said it six times in the hallway today.**

_...I'm sorry. ):_

**Look it's okay. I uhm... I broke up with Finn today.  
><strong>

_What, why?_**  
><strong>

**We just weren't working out. I see him as a brother more than I see him as a boyfriend. He was disappointed, but he understood.**_  
><em>

_Well I'm sorry._**  
><strong>

**Don't be sorry, it's not like it was your fault. **_  
><em>

_Ha. It sure feels like it though._**  
><strong>

**It's not.**

_If you say so.._**  
><strong>

**Okay. Hey, Rachel. Can I suggest something to you? Without you getting totally offended or anything?**

I suppose so.

**I think you need God.**_  
><em>

_What do you mean? Are you suggesting I need fixing? Because, I assure you I don't need fixing Quinn._**_  
><em>**

**No! No that's not what I meant. I meant, God has helped me through some really rough times. And I know you are facing some rough times of your own, so maybe it would be best to turn to prayer. And maybe, maybe you aren't gay. Maybe you are just confused and God can help set you on a straight path... Or something like that. I don't really know.. It was just a suggestion.**_  
><em>

Rachel stared down at the text message, her eyebrows knitted together.

Well that wasn't offensive at all. God can help set you on a straight path? A straight path of sexuality?

_Yeah, okay. Well... I gotta go. Bye._

She didn't receive in answer and for the first time, she was okay with that.

The first time she had texted Quinn after the incident... The blonde managed to piss her off and offend her all at the same time.

Just as she was preparing herself to go downstairs and talk to her fathers, a new text message lit up her phone, but instead of being Quinn, it was someone else.

_**Hi, is this Rachel?**_

_This is she... Who is this?_

_**Sam Evans.  
><strong>_

_How can I help you, Sam Evans?  
><em>

_**Uhm, well... I wanted to explain everything that went down today.**_

_If you don't mind, I don't really want to know._

_**Well I do mind. **_

_Excuse me?  
><em>

_**Look, I'm not like Kurt. You need to quit pushing people away Rachel, you are going to end up alone. And I don't want to see that happen to you. Look... I know I don't know you very well, but it's whatever. Kurt came to me today and told me what was going on and I wanted to help out. I went up to Puck and told him he needed to back off otherwise things wouldn't be looking so good. Well things didn't look good right then 'cause, he punched me. And y'know, I defended myself, so that's where the black eye came from. Yeah, I ended up with a three day suspension, but I don't regret it. Because, I was helping someone out. You. I think you pushing people away is actually a cry out for help, no matter what you say. So please, don't push me away.**  
><em>

_Well, Sam... I am a little speechless. For starters, thank you for being chivalrous. I don't know many people that would have done that. I suppose, I could attempt not to push people away... But I can make no guarantees. Thank you for defending me._

**Anytime**. **Look, don't be a stranger okay? If you ever need to talk, you now have my number, okay? **_  
><em>

_Okay, thank you Sam._

**Anytime, Rachel. And tell Kurt what's going on. He's really worried.**_  
><em>

_Okay, I will._**  
><strong>

**Good. Stay strong, Rachel.**_  
><em>

* * *

><p>"So tell us what happened?"<p>

Rachel let her eyes run over her fathers in front of her. Hiram had his hands in his lap, his feet crossed over one another. Leroy was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his head placed in his hands. They both looked skeptical but concerned. They looked like good parents.

"Well," She paused, puckering her lips to the side in thought, "where would you like me to begin?"

They were sitting in the living room. Her fathers were on the loveseat and she sat across from them in one of the recliners, although she was sitting up rather than being reclined.

After her conversation with Sam, she had spent an hour in her room just thinking over the days events. When her dads called her down for dinner, she straightened herself up in her room and mentally began preparing what she was going to tell her fathers.

"From the beginning would probably be the best." Leroy answered, leaning back and slowly draping one arm over Hiram's shoulder and the other one was placed on the armrest.

She nodded slowly, knitting her eyebrows together as she began thinking exactly how long it had been since the whole thing had begun.

"Well, remember the last time Noah came over?" She started, one eyebrow raising as her fathers nodded slowly. "Okay, well, we had just been sitting around talking when Quinn got brought up into the conversation. We talked about her for a while-" She figured she should leave the part out about the two of them role playing as her and Quinn. She could just imagine her fathers trying to hold their smiles back if she told them that. "And then all of the sudden he got extremely angry and was saying all of these things how I was being unfair to him and not being considerate of his feelings. At the time I was completely confused and to be honest, I still am now. I never believe I led Noah on intentionally..." She dragged the sentence out, glancing down at the hardwood floor of the living room, gathering the courage to continue.

"You never led him on honey, even when you guys were downstairs talking to us that much was obvious." Hiram confirmed, his hands tightening in his lap. "Although it was obvious he was completely head over heels for you, I never saw you return the interest."

She nodded, biting down on her lower lip. "Anyway, the next day was Quinn's birthday and as you know, we went out and everything. And I told her how I felt and her reaction wasn't what I hoped it to be. She said she wasn't gay, and she had asked if I liked her and I told her no."

Hiram's face fell and Leroy's flashed with disappointment.

She knew her fathers weren't big on her denying her feelings about anything. They were all for honesty.

When their faces fell in disappointment, she had to look away. She couldn't stand seeing her fathers disappointed in her.

But they also had to realize, if they were in her position, they would have lied to Quinn too.

"Anyway, so I was upset and you guys saw that when I got home because I just ran upstairs. Well later that night I got a text message from Finn sayin-"

"Finn Hudson? The goof you dated?" Hiram interrupted, his jaw dropping slightly.

She nodded, "Yes that boy." She caught a glimpse of anger flashing through Leroy's eyes and she knew it was because, he had never been fond of the tall teenager. "Anyway, I got a text from him asking if I was a lesbian, and of course my immediate response was to cry. So I did that and then I got a call from Kurt going on about how Noah had sent a mass text message out to everyone in the school about me... And to say I was disappointed was an understatement. I guess," She frowned, "I guess I just thought Noah was different... But he turned out to be just like everyone else selfish and cruel."

She licked her dry lips and glanced at her fathers, observing their expressions.

Hiram looked lost in thought and Leroy looked angry.

"Daddy," She murmured slowly to Leroy, "are you okay?"

Her father shook his head once and his jaw tightened. "That little punk is going to have another thing coming if this shit continues."

Her eyes widened at the curse. Her fathers, especially Leroy, was never one for foul language.

Hiram blinked a few times, finally pulling out of his own thoughts and bringing one hand down on Rachel's thigh to rub soothingly. Rachel stared at her father and gave him a soft smile while he sighed. "Boys are stupid, Rachel. You are going to realize this now more than ever. But anyway, please continue, honey."

"Okay... So the next day you guys let me go in late and when I got there one of the first encounters I had with anyone was some freshman I didn't know, saying I was the lesbian everyone had been talking about. And then the next period I ran into Noah and he used some derogatory terms in reference to me. And then after that was Glee and I saw Quinn and she just looked..." She gulped down the sudden ache in her throat. "She just looked so heartbroken and betrayed and she told me I had lied to her and...Yeah, just that I had lied. Then later that night she let me explain everything." She briefly allowed herself to remember that day then shook her head, trying to get back on track with her story.

"Then this week, the taunts from Noah got worse and he started recruiting people to make fun of me. On Monday it was threats, mean names, and one slushy. On Tuesday it was two slushies, a shove into a locker, and some more mean names. Then on Wednesday I hid in the bathroom in hopes to avoid the slushies, but some Cheerios found me in there and dumped it over the stall all over me. Then today, Thursday, I-uhm.." She paused, her heart clenching at the memory of Noah's raspy breath in her ear. "Noah shoved me into the locker and said... Uhm..." She swallowed loudly, glancing at her fathers, unable to force the dirty sentence out of her mouth.

"What did he say Rachel?" Leroy urged her to continue.

"I-I don't know if I'm totally comfortable telling you guys..." She admitted, bringing one hand up to rub the back of her neck.

"You have to tell us!" Leroy pressed, narrowing his eyes. Rachel could only imagine what was running through her fathers heads.

"He said, uhm, he said I needed to have a man... Have his way with me." She forced out, dropping her gaze to the ground embarrassed.

After a few beats of silence she looked back up to see both of her fathers with similar expressions on their face. They both looked livid. Their eyes were narrowed and their fists were clenched tightly together. She looked over the two, not knowing what to say to calm them down.

"Should I continue?" The question hung in the air for a few beats before Hiram slowly nodded, still tensed in his spot.

"Well after that I was sitting in class when my name was called over the intercom, asking if I could come down to the office. So I went down there and there was this boy, Sam Evans, there. You guys don't know him but he's a junior and he joined the Glee Club this year. He's hung around in the back and the only time he's ever had a big shining moment was when he sang with Quinn at the homeless shelter... And when Kurt asked him to sing a duet with him. But anyway, he had a black eye an-"

"He what?" Hiram exclaimed, raising one hand to his mouth in surprise. He was no longer tense, but Leroy still was.

"If you let me finish I'll get to that part..." She scolded, narrowing her eyes at Hiram who snapped his mouth shut with an audible plop, a red tint appearing at his cheeks. "Anyway, he had a black eye and the counselor and the resource officer where there. When I sat down they basically told me that they had gotten some sources saying I was being bullied by Noah. I didn't say I was, purely because I'm not going to rat out Noah like that. We may be..." She paused searching for the right word. "We may be at a disagreement, but I'm not going to give him the cold shoulder and I'm not going to treat him the same way he is treating me. So I didn't admit to anything. They then told me Sam had told Noah to back off and the confrontation quickly turned physical, hence why Sam had the black eye. Kurt was the one who asked Sam if he would talk to Noah and he did. And I'm thankful I have friends that are willing to stick up for me, but I really wish Sam wouldn't have gotten hurt in the process."

She examined her father's faces, noting they were both thoughtful now. Leroy appeared to have calmed down some.

"After that I just got really angry. Principal Figgins has never been one for paying attention to the bullying that goes around school. When Kurt was being bullied, barely anyone noticed. When I was being bullied a few years back no one noticed. And they told me they were trying to help me and I just got mad. I didn't want or need their help. And that's why I stormed out of the office. I don't know what has happened to Noah all I know is Sam got suspended for three days and Kurt has detention after school for the remainder of the year, minus the last two days of school... I'm grateful they stood up for me, but to be honest, I don't think it's going to stop Noah from harassing me. I'm assuming he got suspended longer than Sam did but he'll be back... And his disciples are still out there and I'm positive they will still harass me until graduation. And I have to accept that..." She paused and bit down on her bottom lip, shaking her head.

"And I guess to finish this whole thing, I'm just really confused about how I feel right now. For one, I'm furious at Noah. I want him to feel as bad as he is making me feel. I want him to get tormented like I am. I want him to be ashamed like I am." She could feel those stupid fucking tears pricking her eyes. She had been doing so good! "But at the same time I feel like I'm not mad at him. I feel as if he still my friend and this isn't actually him doing any of these things. It's some sort of jealousy that has taken over him... And I'm just really confused. And Quinn-god-Quinn, I miss her so much." She chuckled out shakily, swiping away the tear that was trailing down her cheekbone.

She glanced up to see her fathers staring at her sympathetically.

"I miss her _so _much. She doesn't even look at me in Glee anymore. She ignores me. And I'd much rather her at least bully me because then I know she is at least acknowledging me. With her not even noticing my existence... It's like a huge sting to the heart and I just want things to go back to normal. I want to be cuddled into her arms, telling her about how bad my life had been that week, or something else completely stupid. I just want to hide my love for her and still be her best friend." She sighed, glancing up at her fathers. And without a second thought she stood and walked over to them.

She plopped down right between the middle of them.

"I just want everything I can't have." She sniffled, leaning her head down on Leroy's shoulder and grabbing Hiram's hand.

They sat their silently for a few beats, just letting the sound of Rachel's sniffling fill the room and letting the whole speech Rachel had just finished sink in.

Leroy was the first to talk.

"I'm going to kill that Noah boy..."

"No you won't." Hiram sighed, his thumb rubbing over his daughter's palm softly.

"I know..." Leroy growled. "But I can wish."

Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange and she snuggled in further.

"Guys?" She murmured, glancing up at the two of them from her spot between them.

"Yeah?" They answered in unison.

"Be prepared for a whole lot of snuggling. I want to get as much snuggles in as I can before I head off to New York."

They grinned pulling her in tighter and kissing her forehead, making sure all of her worries disappeared for just a moment.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N - **Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing well! I apologize for this chapter being so late. For starters, my vacation got extended an extra week and then when I got back in town, I got really sick. And then when I finally was able to edit this chapter, I realized I hated it. So, I ended up rewriting it... three times. But now I'm back, completely healthy, and ready to shoot out the last few chapters for you guys! As always, all mistakes are mine and I hope you enjoy!

The songs used in this chapter were _'__You Don't Love Me" _by The Kooks and _"__When I'm Gone" _by Simple Plan.

**Chapter Eighteen: **

_Yeah, okay. Well... I gotta go. Bye._

She stared at the text, her thoughts coming to a complete halt. She could basically hear the painful thumps of her heart because of how silent it was. She felt hot tears trail down her cheeks and she quickly brought the back of her hand up to swipe away at them.

She shouldn't be crying.

Not over this.

Not over Rachel Berry.

She continued to stare at the lit screen for a few seconds longer, willing Rachel to text her something else. Or for her to come up with a response. When neither came, she sighed, throwing her phone on the ground and ignoring the loud smack it made when it hit the hardwood floor.

Quinn slowly dropped back into her pillow and closed her eyes, willing the moisture in her eyes to settle down and disappear.

This is how every night for the past three weeks had been for her.

She was miserable.

Although she would never admit it out loud, she missed Rachel. She missed Rachel so much it was nearly killing her, physically and mentally. When she wasn't crying about Rachel, she was thinking about Rachel. When she wasn't thinking about Rachel, she was dreaming about Rachel. When she wasn't dreaming about Rachel, she was willing herself not to text Rachel.

It was a never-ending cycle, always coming up with the same result.

Quinn would ignore Rachel.

Until that particular day, it changed.

That look of vulnerability and sadness on Rachel's face when Quinn bumped into her, caused her very protective resolve to crack slightly.

What had happened to the beautiful girl she once called her best friend?

And she couldn't help herself when the girl texted her later. She _had _to respond. She hoped by talking to Rachel, she could get over this guilt that was clawing through her body, but it didn't work.

In fact it only made her feel even worse.

Quinn slowly pulled herself up to a sitting position, letting her elbows drape over her knees as she traced her eyes over the flower-patterned blanket she had.

It only took her about five seconds until her thoughts were pulled back to Rachel.

When it came to Rachel Berry, Quinn only knew about three things.

Number one, Rachel terrified her.

For many reasons.

Quinn never knew what actually caring about someone felt like before Rachel came along. Growing up in her house she learned two things - the first thing she learned is you can only depend on yourself in life. Everyone else would end up stabbing you in the back or letting you down. The second thing she learned was that God was the only person you could trust and if you ever sinned, you would be going to hell.

Growing up like that caused her to not care about anyone.

She loved her parents and her sister, she always would, but that didn't mean she liked them all the time. She could barely stand being around her parents and there judgmental ways. And they sure didn't act like they cared about her, so why should she them? And she only saw her sister twice a year, so she couldn't really say she even cared about her either.

She thought she had cared about Puck, hell she thought she had loved Puck. But that all changed when she saw how he was treating Rachel.

And in the end, the only person she could even think to care about was Rachel.

Rachel and her stupid talent. Rachel and her stupid plaid skirts. Rachel and her stupid knee-high socks. Rachel and her stupid adorable face she makes when she doesn't get what she wants. Just stupid Rachel.

The second thing Quinn knew about Rachel Berry was that she was perfect.

Well to Quinn she was perfect.

Obviously Rachel had her flaws. She had the tendency to be a little annoying and a little selfish at times, but that didn't make Quinn love her any less. In fact, those were two of the things Quinn loved most about her. She admired Rachel's ambition, she admired the way Rachel's eyes would light up when she was talking about something she was really passionate about. She admired Rachel for everything Rachel hated about herself.

But loving all these things about Rachel, made her realize that she would never be good enough for Rachel.

Rachel Berry was meant for stardom. Rachel Berry was meant for New York, for Broadway.

And Quinn?

Quinn was meant for a nice life in Lima. Sure, she could go to Yale, but she would still end up in Lima. She would end up being a real estate agent, or a stay at home mom. She wasn't good enough for anything outside of Ohio. She was Lima good, she wasn't New York City good. She was born a Lima loser and she would die a Lima loser.

She was never meant to be with Rachel.

Ever.

She couldn't even be with Rachel if she wanted. Not only would her parents murder her, she would also be too embarrassed to be seen with Rachel. Not because of Rachel specifically, but more along the fact that Rachel would want to hold her hand and kiss her and Quinn couldn't stand the looks they would receive.

Deep down, she cared about what people thought. Everybody did.

And that is why she would never be good enough for Rachel.

Finally, the third thing she knew about Rachel was that she was stronger than she thought she was.

She was stronger than what Puck was putting her through. And even if Rachel didn't believe it, Quinn knew she would get through it.

Everyday, Quinn would watch from the sidelines. She watched as Puck tossed a grape slushy in her face. She watched as people shoved her into lockers. She watched as boys would corner her and say disgusting things to her. She watched it all and never interfered.

Because she was a coward.

But Rachel? She was strong. She was stronger than Puck. Stronger than McKinley. Stronger than Lima.

Quinn just didn't understand how she could see it and Rachel couldn't?

If only Rachel could see herself the way Quinn saw her... it would be fantastic.

Rachel would never be insecure or self-conscious again. Rachel could love herself the way Quinn loved her.

"Quinnie!" A shrill voice yelled, causing Quinn to careen backwards, hitting her head against the post of her bed.

"Ow, shit!" She hissed, bringing her hand up to rub the back of her head.

"Dinner is ready!" The voice continued and Quinn pursed her lips to the side, glancing at the ceiling of her room and cursing her mother for scaring the hell out of her.

She begrudgingly swung her legs out from underneath her and placed her feet onto the cold floor.

She glanced down at her phone to see if she had any new messages. Even though she figured the least, she couldn't help being a bit disappointed that there was nothing new on her screen. She sighed and pushed herself up to stand, running her hands through her hair and letting out a moan when her fingers ran over the spot she had hit on the bedpost.

She quickly turned and made her way towards the staircase, quickly taking the steps two at a time.

As she made her way down the hallway and towards the dining room, she slipped on the perfect façade that was Quinn Fabray, the pretty, popular, and relatively sane Christian daughter of Russell and Judy Fabray.

She rounded the corner into the dining room and her eyes took in her mother who was setting plates on the long, brown wooden table. Her father sat at the head of the table, one hand holding a book and the other holding a wine glass. His eyebrows were knitted together as he read and Quinn quickly narrowed her eyes to read the title of the book.

_The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo._

She couldn't help but thinking humorously about how her father would be loving that book.

Not only did Lisbeth Salander hook up with girls, she also dressed like one of those Gothic kids her father despised of. Every time they were out in public and a goth kid would walk by, her father would curl his lips up in disgust and mutter a curse under his breath.

Quinn shook her head and quickly made her way to her seat. She sat down and smoothed out her skirt as she watched her mother set one more plate down, filled with potatoes on the table before her, smiling to herself, obviously pleased. She quickly removed the apron that was around her waist and disappeared into the kitchen for a few seconds before she was back and sitting down at the other head of the table that was not occupied by her husband.

Quinn glanced out the windows of the back doors, watching the bushes sway with the wind and she couldn't help but start to think about Rachel once again.

God, she was pathetic. She couldn't go five minutes without thinking about the brunette.

"Russell?" A timid voice called and Quinn was snapped back to the present. She cocked one eyebrow up in the direction of her mother, curious as to what the woman was doing.

If there was one thing you didn't do in the Fabray household, it was interrupt Russell Fabray while he was enamored with something.

The blonde man didn't seem phased by the fact that his wife called out to him. Instead, he continued reading the paragraph he was on until he got to the end of the page before he glanced up over the cover of his book and tilted his head to the side.

"Dinner?" Judy nodded her head in the direction of the food on the table.

Russell glanced back down at his book, then at his wife. A smile spread across his face and he pulled his lips together in a tight line.

"Of course," He said gruffly, setting his book down on the table, "dinner."

After he fingered the corner of the page he was on, he glanced up at his wife and grinned. The couple shared a look before Russell tore his eyes away and stared at Quinn.

_Uh oh._

That was definitely a look Quinn recognized.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as Russell's stare turned icy and he pursed his lips to the side.

"Lucy," He said, waving his hand out in front of him, "why don't you start us off with dinner?"

Her first name? This was bad, this was very bad. Abort, abort!

Quinn slowly lifted the corner of her lips into a soft smile, before nodding and reached out towards the table. Her hands shook as she felt Russell's gaze intensify on her. She quickly scooped up some potatoes and slapped them down on her plate. She quickly followed with one of the three steaks and as she did so, she glanced at her mother, hoping for a bit of support.

But of course she was shit out of luck, because her mother turned away at the exact moment their hazel eyes met.

Who was she kidding? Judy was more afraid of Russell than she was!

After she grabbed a good amount of corn she settled back into her seat and hesitantly met her father's gaze.

He still was looking at her coldly and she could feel the hair on her arms rise up.

They shared their intense gaze for a few beats longer before Russell finally sighed and turned towards the food at the center of the table.

Quinn quickly released the breath she had been holding, happy that Russell released her from his spell. Her father had the power to turn her into a quivering mess in seconds. He was an intimidating man and when drunk, very aggressive and that scared the hell out of her.

As she stabbed her fork into her steak, she allowed her thoughts to wander again.

And where did they take her?

None other than to the first time she saw Rachel.

She blinked once and was quickly filled with images of the memory.

It was the first Wednesday of freshman year when she first saw Rachel Berry.

She was walking down the halls of McKinley, her hands placed firmly on her hips as she strutted through the crowd of her peers. The upperclassmen boys were leering at her. The upperclassmen girls were glaring at her. She felt like she was on top of the world.

Not only had she managed to snag the top spot at McKinley as head bitch, she also managed to be the first freshman ever to become Cheerios captain.

She knew Coach Sylvester had been impressed with her at the summer camp but she had no clue the woman would name her the captain at the beginning of her first year in high school. But when she did, she couldn't help being smug by all the hateful looks that were being shot her way by the older girls that had been on the squad for years and never managed to even be a co-captain.

And as she strutted down the halls of McKinley that day, she had never felt more powerful. More in control of everything.

She vaguely remembered smirking at Puck who gave her a thorough once over, his eyes glazing over, with what she had assumed to be images of the two of them in compromising positions.

Oh, how she had been infatuated with Puck.

But even Puck couldn't distract her from the God awful bright pink skirt that caught her eye behind the boy's shoulder.

She had no clue who the girl was, all she knew was that she had to be a freshman like herself.

Quinn had walked past Puck, her eyes glued to the girl who she would later find out to be Rachel Berry.

Rachel had on that hideous pink skirt, with white ankle socks and penny loafers.

Penny loafers!

Tucked into her pink skirt was a long-sleeved baby blue shirt and an argyle sweater covering it. Her long, brown hair was clipped back by a star bobby pin and it flowed down just to the beginning of her breasts... not that Quinn was looking at her breasts by any means, that is just where her hair ended.

As she passed, Quinn noticed Rachel appeared to be talking to herself and she couldn't help but being mildly amused.

And right as she passed, fate struck.

Rachel slowly turned her head and caught hazel eyes examining her.

They shared a look for a few seconds before Quinn tore her gaze away and continued walking down the hall like nothing happened.

After that encounter, Rachel Berry never even crossed Quinn's mind until a year later.

That was when Quinn's place as head bitch in charge got threatened by some upperclassmen. She needed to step up her game to stay on top.

And what better way to do it then by bullying?

She had no clue why she picked Rachel to be her number one target. Maybe it was because she just couldn't get over the fact that the girl really needed to be taken out on a shopping trip. Or maybe it was the fact that a loser like Rachel could snag a popular guy like Finn.

At the time she didn't really need a reason, she just needed the popularity.

So, Rachel became her number one target and as the movies go, the rest was history... she apologized, became friends with her, fell head over heels for her, and then pretended to hate her. Oh, how her life could be a soap opera.

"Lucy Quinn Fabray!" A loud, booming voice interrupted her memory.

She jumped in her seat and snapped her attention back to the present and focused in on her surroundings.

Her mother was fascinated by one of the family portraits on the wall, so it couldn't have been her that yelled her name. She slowly tore her gaze to Russe-

_Oh._

That was definitely who shouted her name.

Her father's face was red, the wrinkles on his forehead even more pronounced as he narrowed his eyes. His hands were clenched into fists on the table top and he looked like he wanted to shoot somebody.

Quinn really hoped it wasn't her.

"I'm sorry daddy." She murmured, dropping her gaze to her dinner plate.

She had barely ate anything.

"I was distracted, what did you say?" She lifted her gaze again, smiling politely.

Her father's brow furrowed further.

"Well perhaps you should listen to me when I'm talking to you then!" He seethed, gritting his teeth together.

Quinn watched as her father shut his eyes and licked his lips, before slowly opening them. He still wasn't calm, but he looked a little less angry, if possible.

"Anyway," He growled under his breath, "I was at work today and I overheard some coworkers talking. These coworkers have kids that go to your school-" _Oh god, this was bad. _"And they were talking about that Berry girl. Now usually, I wouldn't be interested in conversations including the daughter of two homosexuals, but then your name popped up-" She could feel her chest tightening and her stomach twisting into knots. This was very, very bad. She needed to get out now before she was murdered. "Apparently, Rachel Berry has a crush on you?" He inquired, cocking one eyebrow up. "Now if this is true, I don't understand why you wouldn't tell me this Lucy. This is something a father should know."

Quinn breathed out through her nose deeply, trying to search for the right thing to say. She knew she could piss him off even further if she said the wrong thing so she carefully thought over her next sentence before speaking aloud.

"Well daddy," She cleared her throat and brought a hand up to run through her hair, "this particular rumor would be true."

She could see the vein popping out of her father's neck and she became wary.

"Rachel does have a crush on me, but I can assure you we are no longer on speaking terms and I told her she needed to keep her lifestyle away from me." Quinn explained, licking her lips and glancing at her father nervously. She truly hoped he bought her lie.

"That dyke-" He hissed and Quinn immediately felt her body react.

She bristled at the derogatory term and she immediately felt the urge to leap over the table and claw her fathers eyes out. But she managed to refrain herself from doing so and instead dropped her hands to grip the edges of her seat, her nails digging into the wooden chair.

"How dare she put you in that position?" He bellowed, the vein in his neck popping out even more. "I figured she would be a lesbian from the moment I heard those faggots were raising a daughter. I cannot believe she would choose you of all people to have a crush on. She is a disgrace! She is practically embarrassing the Fabray name! I shouldn't even be sitting here talking about this, I should have those faggots-all three of them-in the hospital!"

Quinn swallowed thickly, her chest shaking as she exhaled slowly. She knew she was seconds away from beating the living hell out of her father and she knew she needed to stop herself. Her brain was flooded with images of a beaten up Rachel, her father standing smugly above her and she was livid at the sight.

"Daddy?" She interrupted as her father continued to scream out negativity.

"Stupid hom-I-ugh, what?" He paused, staring at his daughter who had the nerve to interrupt him.

"As much as I agree-" _Lie. _"with everything you are saying, I don't think any of it will be necessary. I graduate in two weeks and after that I will never see Rachel Berry or her family again, so there is no need to lash out at them." She explained, narrowing her eyes.

"But-but," Her father started, his bottom lip quivering from anger.

"But nothing, daddy. I respect what you are saying, I really do-" Good God, she was such a liar. "But it isn't really necessary I promise. Rachel Berry and her fathers are faggots-" Quinn cringed, hoping her father wouldn't notice but continued. "And they always will be, but nothing we do is going to make them change. Now as I said before, I am not talking to Rachel and I told her she needed to keep her disease away from me unless she wanted to be bullied for the rest of the school year."

She finally let out an irritated huff and stared at her father pointedly who appeared to be deep in thought. She hoped he could accept what she just said and drop the subject of the Berry's.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call up your principal and have the girl removed from your classes?" He asked, raising one eyebrow up and pursing his lips to the side.

She shook her head immediately. She needed to see Rachel throughout the day.

"That won't be necessary daddy. Like I said, there is only two weeks left." She repeated and dropped her gaze to her uneaten food, suddenly feeling nauseous at the sight of it.

Russell seemed to consider that before slowly shaking his head.

"Perhaps you are right," He grumbled, stabbing his fork into his own steak, "but that still doesn't make them superior to us. They are still faggots that should be condemned to hell."

God, how she wished she could spat in his face. How she wished she could yell at him and tell him that the Berry men were always going to be superior to him. That the Berry men were actually decent human beings while he was just a rotten piece of filth. How she wished she could flaunt Rachel in front of his face and tell him that Rachel Berry would show him up someday and his ass would be humiliated, because Rachel Berry, the faggot, would be a big star one day while he was still a lawyer in Lima, Ohio.

"May I be excused?" She quipped suddenly, drawing her attention up to her father and flashing him a pleading look.

Russell smiled gently and nodded. "Sure, Quinn. But-" He started, reaching out a gripping his daughter's wrist before she could shoot out of the room. "I just wanted to let you know that I admire you, honey. I'm very proud to call you my daughter."

She wasn't exactly proud to call him her father, but she managed to put on a weak smile and nod.

"Thanks daddy." She mumbled, before yanking her wrist away from his grasp and racing out of the dining room. She quickly fumbled her way towards her room and down the steps. As soon as she was alone she fell face first onto her bed and let out one muffled scream into her pillow that she felt like she had been holding for years.

Stupid fucking father.

Why couldn't he understand that not all homosexuals were bad? That not everything the Bible said was necessarily true? Why couldn't he just be a normal parent that was interested in his daughter's life? Why couldn't he be the dad that encouraged her to go with her heart and not deny her feelings? Why couldn't he just be normal?

She could feel her heart wrenching in her chest and she burrowed herself further into her pillow. Her chin began to quiver and she could feel her stomach twisting and turning. Soft sobs began to rake through her body, causing her shoulders to shake and loud muffled cries to be released into her pillow.

Why couldn't she just be with Rachel? Why did she have to worry about her stupid parents?

She clenched the comforter beneath her tightly in her hands and yanked, grasping for something. She didn't know what she was grasping for, maybe she was grasping onto a life she never had, but desperately wanted. Maybe she was grasping onto Rachel and the love she had for the brunette. Mayb-

"Quinnie?"

The blonde immediately froze, her shoulders that had been shaking coming to a screeching halt.

She knew things could have been worse. That it could have been her father's voice that called her name. But even having her mother see her sobbing was pretty bad.

Quinn quickly turned on her right side, facing away from her mother and brought her hands up to wipe away the tears that had been streaking down her face. She immediately inhaled, trying not to sniffle loudly. She slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position and glanced over her shoulder to see her mother standing there, her hands gripping the edges of her dress tightly.

"Oh, Quinnie." Her mother cooed and in seconds was holding the girl from behind, pushing her hair over her shoulder. "Talk to me honey."

The simple sentence caused Quinn to lose it.

The sobs erupted again and she leaned back into her mother, allowing the woman to tighten the grip she had around her waist.

"I c-can't!" She choked out, her teeth clacking together loudly as she tried to open her eyes and stare at her mother, but instead moisture clouded her vision.

"You can, honey, you can." She murmured softly. "I know everything, honey, you can talk to me."

Quinn shook her head and bit down on her bottom lip. "You don't know anything!"

"Yes I do, honey." Judy whispered and pulled away a few inches to stare down at Quinn.

The position began hurting the younger blonde's neck so she turned in her mother's arms and stared up into the hazel eyes she was greeted with. Quinn assumed her own eyes were red shot. In fact, her whole face was probably as red as a tomato and her jaw was sore from the way she had been holding her mouth while crying.

"I know about Rachel," Judy continued, "maybe not all the details, but I know you care about her more than you should. I could see it when you came home when she took you out for your birthday. Obviously, it was just a suspicion I had but after today-" She paused, "after what happened at dinner," she corrected, "my suspicions were confirmed. I know you like Rachel honey and that's okay."

God, how much worse could this day get?

"I-I don't just like her mom," She cried, "I love her. I love her so much it's making me-" She swept one hand over her face and nearly cracked a smile when her mother giggled. "It's making me into this huge mess. I care about her and she is getting tortured at school and I want to help but I-I have no clue what to do."

Judy's face pulled into a sympathetic smile. "Oh honey."

"L-like, I love her so much mom, I can't even describe it." She whimpered. "I want to be with her and I want to go to New York with her and I want to-"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Quinnie." Judy interrupted suddenly and her hands dropped to grasp Quinn's tightly.

Quinn balked and quickly nodded, examining her mother's face.

"You can't be with Rachel."

Well that was certainly not what she was expecting.

Quinn sniffled, once, twice, then cocked her head to the side. "I-I don't get what you are saying." She stammered.

"You can't be with Rachel." Judy repeated and frowned. "Honey, look, I don't think there is anything wrong with you like your father does. But I do think you are bringing all this pain on yourself." Quinn immediately bristled.

"You can't be with Rachel because you know your father would not allow it and he would kick you out of the house, and I would have to go along with it." Judy explained.

"I-you-what?" Quinn snapped, feeling anger seep through her body. She had resulted from a crying mess to an angry daughter in a matter of seconds. "You don't have to go along with anything. You are choosing to go along with it because you don't want him mad at you!"

"Just like you are choosing to be gay, honey. You can't choose to be gay and not expect him to kick you out. You can't be with Rachel if you want to stay in this house. So just like you are choosing to be gay, you will have to make a choice here. Stay in this house and remain apart of the family, or get kicked out and go be with a girl who might not even want to be with you anymore." Judy said simply with a shrug, pulling her lips together in a tight line.

"What the hell, mom?" Quinn spat. "It's not a choice! And if it was, don't you think I would choose to be straight because it's easier? You think I wanted this to happen? I-I," She paused, grasping for the right thing to say. "Why are you being so mean?"

Judy immediately stiffened and Quinn knew she had hit a nerve.

"How dare you, Lucy Fabray!" She hissed. "Mean? I am being far from mean, I am being honest. You are being the unfair one here to put me in this position. And you are being unfair to your father if you decide to be gay! You are the one that is choosing wrong here, Lucy. Not us!"

"Bu-but, mom!" Quinn resulted to whining, throwing her hands down on the mattress as she stared at her mother, who didn't even flinch.

"No, Lucy, no." She just growled and shot off the bed, shaking her head. "Come back up to dinner when you have composed yourself." And with a final nod of her head, she was gone.

* * *

><p>A week later, she found herself in the same position.<p>

Apparently her speech about the Berry's didn't affect her father because he continued to rant about them to no end. Quinn was pretty sure she had never heard the words faggot and dyke used more times in her life than she did in that period of seven days.

She poked at her green beans as her father went off on one of his long lectures about how Rachel Berry was a disgrace to humanity and she happily ignored him.

Why is that green bean so long compared to the other one?

"Rachel Berry should be sent away to one of those-ah-one of those, Judy, what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Gay camps, Russell."

"Yes, gay camps! She needs to be sent to one of those gay camps so they can straighten her out. And then they need to put her up for adoption so she can get away from those men she calls fathers. Stupid faggots!"

That green bean is really skinny.

"I just don't understand how they can live in this town! This is a completely straight town-"

"Russell, honey, you are forgetting about that Hummel boy. He is gay too."

"Well then, him and the Berry's need to get their asses out of our town, they are making all of Lima a gay town!"

Could green beans be gay? What if she was poking a gay green bean?

"Lucy, are you even listening to what I'm saying? You should sock that Berry girl in the face!"

What if the chair she was sitting in was gay? Oh God, what if every inanimate object was gay?

"Lucy Quinn Fabray, listen to me when I am talking to you!"

Quinn slowly tore her gaze up to her fathers, not even flinching at the fire in them as she cocked her right eyebrow up.

"Sorry, daddy, I guess I'm just distracted." She mused, turning her attention back to her green beans.

"Lucy, you pay attention to me now! This is very good information you nee-"

"Dad!" She groaned, dropping her fork to the plate and frowning. "I get it, okay? You've been talking about this for a week now? I get it. I don't think I could get it more even if I wanted to. So can we please drop the subject?"

"No we will not drop the subject!" His voice rose. "We will continue to talk about this unti-"

"Until what?" She retorted in a huff. "Have you ever thought maybe I'm not so down with hating on gay people?" Quinn questioned and she heard a hushed curse from her left, knowing it was from her mother. She was just digging a deeper hole for herself, but at that moment she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Well you need to be 'down' with it! If you are to be apart of this family-" God, could he ever shut up?

She threw her napkin that had been on her lap onto the plate and let out a frustrated groan, causing her father to stop mid sentence.

"Then maybe I don't want to be apart of this family then!" She finally spat, throwing daggers at her father. "Maybe I'm gay! Have you ever thought of that?"

Quinn was so lost in the argument, she didn't even realize what she had said... but she could tell with the way her fathers eyes were bulging and the way his face was fuming, it was something very bad.

"Y-you're what?" Russell's voice was barely above a whisper. "Did you just say you were gay?"

So that's what she had said.

_Oops_.

Ignoring his question she turned to her mother who had one free tear falling down her left cheek. Her mother had no reason to cry! She had every reason to but she wasn't.

"I needed you."

She heard her father suck in a breath and then he was speaking.

"You knew about this?" He growled in Judy's direction.

"I-no!" She immediately spoke up, shaking her head and staring at Quinn. "She didn't tell me anything."

"Yes I did! And you-you knew! And I needed you. I needed my mom. And you were so scared of what he would do if he found out... so you just pushed it aside like we do every bad feeling in this house. If you don't talk about it, it doesn't exist." She said, the tears falling. She flickered her gaze between her father and mother when Russell spoke up, pointing a single finger at her.

"Now do not turn this on us! You are the disappointment here!" He yelled.

"Why? Because I'm not a little girl anymore? Because I made a mistake?" She fired back, her eyebrows knitting together. She stood up making her way over to him when his next words stopped her.

"Who are you? I don't recognize you at all." His voice cracked at the end and Quinn automatically felt guilty.

"I'm your daughter. Who loves you. And who knows this must be really hard for you, but I just need my daddy to hold me, and tell me that it's going to be okay. Please." She pleaded, dropping down to her knees beside him.

His posture didn't change... If anything he became stiffer at the movement.

"Daddy, I love girls the way I'm supposed to feel about boys. It's-it's something that's always been inside me. And I really want to share it with you because I love you so much. I want you to know me. Who I really am. When I'm with Rachel, I-I finally understand what people are saying when they talk about love. I've tried so hard to push this feeling away and keep it locked inside. But everyday just feels like a war. And I walk around so mad at the world, when really I'm just fighting with myself." She bit down on her bottom lip and searched her father's eyes. "And I don't want to fight anymore. I'm just to tired. I have to just be me." She finished, swallowing loudly. She felt like she was crying out her heart and soul.

"Say something, please." She begged after a few moments of silence.

She watched him closely, observing as he clenched his jaw, the bone sticking out just beside his cheek. His eyebrows were knitted together and his top lip was pulled up slightly, almost as if he were snarling. He looked furious-he looked livid.

And then she felt smooth fingers slide over her wrist and up to her elbow and she saw dark eyes turn towards her.

Simply the way her father gripped her elbow, she knew something bad was going to happen.

"How dare you do this?" She could feel his hot breath blowing in her face. His grip slowly began to tighten on her elbow and she stopped breathing altogether. "You are a disgrace. You are a slut. You are a dyke and if you weren't my daughter, I would kick you out of this house immediately."

"Daddy-" She began, but was cut off as he brought his hand up and slapped it across her face.

Even though it wasn't as hard as he could have slapped her, the movement still caused Quinn to start full on sobbing.

"Russell-"

"Shut the hell up, Judy!" He hissed and Quinn knew Judy must have flinched because she could see her father's lips pull up into a smirk.

"Now you listen to me and you listen to me good." He directed his attention back to Quinn. "If you ever speak about this again in my house, I will disown you. I will _hurt you._" He threatened and she could feel his fingernails digging into her soft skin.

That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

"Do you understand me?"

"I-I, yes." She choked out, her voice higher than usual because of the tears.

"Good." His voice was laced with malice and then she was getting shoved onto her ass as he pushed by her.

She immediately brought her hands up to cover her face as she heard the sounds of his steps retreating from the room.

Not even ten seconds later she heard another chair scratch against the hardwood floor and then heels clicking out of the room.

With her father and mother gone, she allowed herself to curl into the fetal position on the floor and cry her heart out.

She had never felt more alone.

* * *

><p>Quinn hadn't been at school.<p>

Or she hadn't been in any of Rachel's classes.

And as much as Rachel hated to admit it, she needed to see the girl.

She hated to admit it because she had spent the past week trying to convince herself that she was going to move on. She was going to get over Quinn. She told her fathers that as well, but she figured they knew just as well as she did that she wasn't making any progress.

They came up every night to talk to her for an hour and in that hour, all Rachel could talk about was how much she missed Quinn. How much she missed the significant details of Quinn. And how much she hated Noah but that only came up occasionally and usually Leroy was the one to bring it up.

He really didn't like Noah.

She shifted across the choir room and stared at the burgundy chairs she had spent countless hours sitting in. In a little less than forty-eight hours, she would be saying goodbye to this room and she couldn't help being severely disappointed. As much as the Glee club never appreciated her talents, she was really going to miss it.

Even though she hated about half of the club, she knew she would never be where she was now without Glee club.

She would have never became friends with Kurt. She would have never dated Finn. She would have never became friends with Quinn. And she would have never been bullied by Noah.

And even with all the things that happened, she wouldn't go back and change anything about her high school career.

She had experienced heartbreak, love, failure, success, all of these things just by being in the Glee club.

The brunette blinked, suddenly feeling emotional. She swiped away the tiny tears that had managed to fall down her cheeks and she gave Brad, the piano man, a soft smile.

"Sorry." She mumbled, turning and making her way over to the sleek black piano.

He shrugged, tilting his head to the side.

She moved her fingers along the top of the piano and reveled in the feeling.

After a few seconds of just staring, she finally exhaled and smiled in the man's direction.

"I'm ready to begin practicing, if that is alright with you?"

Again, he merely shrugged.

She laced her fingers together and just as she was about to open her mouth, a chestnut skirt caught her eye and she was quickly turning to the source, only to stare straight into sad hazel eyes.

"Quinn."

She watched as the girls lips twitched and the blonde gave her a weak smile.

"Rachel."

She held Quinn's gaze for a beat longer before blinking and turning back to Brad.

He was watching the exchange with two wide eyes and when he met Rachel's gaze, he merely pursed his lips to the side and stood.

"Just call me back in when you are ready." He threw the comment over his shoulder and walked into Mr. Schuster's office at the other end of the choir room, leaving the two girls completely alone for the first time since Rachel had knocked into Quinn a week earlier.

Rachel nervously turned her eyes back to Quinn's and quickly took in the blonde's appearance for the first time.

She was wearing a chestnut skirt and a white long sleeve shirt. Her hair was pushed back by a black headband. One arm was slung across her stomach, clutching at her elbow, almost as if she were protecting herself from unseen force. She looked... troubled and it hurt Rachel's heart.

"You weren't in class today."

"I know."

Rachel nodded once and stepped forward, gently caressing the top of the piano. "Where were you?"

The blonde shrugged and dropped her gaze to the tile floor.

"I needed some alone time." She said and Rachel couldn't help thinking the simple sentence was very broad. "And I-uhm-I actually came here to talk to you."

"_Oh_." Rachel said, her eyebrows shooting up to the top of her head. "What did you want to talk about? Because, I'm actually very busy. I was going to begin practicing the songs I was going to sing today in Glee club, for a certain someone, but with you here I can't start my vocal warm ups and that is very important for a talented singer like me to do-"

"Rach," The brunette immediately snapped her mouth closed at the nickname. "Quit rambling."

She looked down and felt her lips twitch up at the corners but she couldn't bring herself to fully smile.

"Anyway," Quinn cleared her throat and Rachel watched as she rubbed her hand up and down the length of her arm. "I was going to say I am, I'm-uhm-I'm sorry for everything that has happened. I mean, it would take me a while to actually say specifically what I'm sorry for, but I just wanted you to know that before we graduate."

Rachel allowed the rushed comment to flow over her and she couldn't help but feeling amazing. The last time she had felt like this was when she had dropped Quinn off after taking her out for her birthday. It felt amazing to be happy again.

"It's okay, Quinn."

"No-" Quinn said and her face immediately fell, causing Rachel to sink back into her depression. "God, don't say that. It's not okay, I treated you like shit these past few weeks. And I'm sorry."

Rachel bit down on her bottom lip and nodded, not wanting to upset the blonde again.

"But," Quinn murmured and licked her lips, "I did have something I wanted to ask you too."

The brunette immediately nodded, encouraging the blonde to ask.

"Why," She watched the girl exhale, "why me?"

Even though Quinn had managed to be on the honor roll all four years of high school, Rachel really couldn't help but thinking that she was kind of clueless.

"Why not you?" Rachel retorted.

The blonde snorted, rolling her eyes. "I'm nothing special, Rach."

Rachel immediately shook her head, already seeing the blonde beginning to crawl back into her protective blanket. She had the opportunity to really tell Quinn how she felt and she was not about to blow it.

"No, wait," Rachel paused and gripped the edge of the piano, "that is where you are wrong, Quinn. I think I see you a little differently than you see yourself."

The blonde didn't say anything, but when her eyebrow raised, Rachel knew the blonde wanted her to continue.

"I don't see you as the popular, blonde, pretty cheerleader. I see you as the soft-spoken, mysterious, Quinn Fabray. You are like a puzzle and I had to finish putting you together." Rachel explained and took a cautious step forward, hoping the blonde wouldn't retreat. "One piece to your puzzle is your ambition. Remember at the beginning of the year how you were put on the junior varsity cheer leading team and you were so upset?"

Quinn blinked and slowly nodded.

"What did you do? You came back and showed Sue that you were better than her. You became head cheerleader and you wouldn't take no for an answer. I've always admired that about you." She licked her lips and swallowed.

"Another piece to your puzzle is how protective you are." She cleared her throat and brought her hand up to point at the blonde. "I mean, I never quite know where I stand with you, Quinn. And the fact that you don't let very many people see the real you, is fascinating to me. And what is even more fascinating to me is how you let _me, _see the real you. And I am truly grateful for that because, you are a very special girl."

She took another step forward, examining the way the wheels in Quinn's eyes were turning.

Just one more step and she would be able to touch the blonde.

"I see you as the girl who sings 'Firework' in my father's car terribly. I see the girl who squeals when she falls on her ass roller-skating. I see the girl who loves The Notebook because of how romantic it is. I see the girl who would climb up the side of my house just to apologize for being such an ass. I see the girl who falls asleep with a blanket over her head. I see the girl who I fought over a stupid marker with..." Rachel licked her lips and took another step forward, reaching out and grabbing Quinn's hand.

She almost squealed in relief when the blonde didn't even flinch.

"Quinn, you are everything I've always wanted to be. And now that I know who you are, I still see you as the pretty popular girl, but you are so much better than that too."

Rachel watched the girl blink and she could just faintly see tears pooling in the blonde's eyes.

"Rach, I-I'm no-"

"Quinn," She interrupted and brought her hand up to push the blonde's bangs out of her face. "_You are."_

She slowly brought her hand up to cradle the blonde's elbow and she was just about to lean in for a hug, but stopped when she saw the girl wince.

The moment had been ruined, all because of her. She was such an idiot. She couldn't get anything right with Quinn.

"Are you okay?" Rachel immediately asked concerned.

Within seconds she saw the guarded Quinn and not the Quinn she just poured her heart out too. She had no clue how someone's whole personality could change like that within seconds.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Not even being convinced one bit, Rachel gripped Quinn's wrist and yanked her sleeve up and what was revealed nearly had her eyes falling out of their sockets.

"What the hell is that, Quinn?" Rachel gasped, staring at the yellow and purple bruised skin on the girls elbow. If she was able to give it a more proper look she would be able to tell that it was fingers, but the blonde yanked her arm away to quickly.

"Nothing, Rachel." So they were back to Rachel, not Rach. "I'm fine. Just drop it."

Something was definitely wrong, but she didn't have a chance to argue because Mercedes and Tina walked in, talking loud and animatedly. They must have been so absorbed in their conversation they didn't hear the bell ring.

"I-ugh-good luck with your songs today." Quinn murmured and turned but before she could leave, Rachel gripped her waist and twirled her back around.

"Well then listen closely, I mean every word of it."

* * *

><p>"Rachel, you have something ready for us today?"<p>

The only reason she even heard what Mr. Schuester had said was because Kurt elbowed her in the side after three seconds of silence.

In reality, she had been way to busy staring at Quinn.

She just couldn't get over the fact that not even ten minutes ago they were talking, nearly hugging and now the blonde wouldn't even look at her. If she didn't know Quinn very well, she would almost assume the blonde was bipolar.

"Yes, I do." She said with a sigh and heaved herself up from her chair.

She heard Noah mutter a curse at her under his breath as she walked by but she ignored it, tilting her chin up towards the ceiling as she stood in front of the classroom.

"Fellow Glee club members, today I have prepared two songs for you all. The first I will perform by myself and the second, my lovely friend Kurt-" She pointed at the boy who gave her a gentle smile. She was happy that they had started talking again. They were now more close than they ever were before and she was very thankful for that. She felt terrible for closing him off but he seemed to understand when she explained everything to him. "Will help me perform the second song. Anyway, so I hope you enjoy my rendition of 'You Don't Love Me.'" As she spoke she stared pointedly at Quinn, who was seated in the front row, her arms crossed over her chest. But at the name of the song, Quinn immediately flickered her hazel gaze to Rachel and narrowed her eyes.

She nodded her head to the band and immediately reached for one of the microphones that was hooked to a stand and brought it closer to her mouth.

_"But you don't love me the way that, I love you. 'Cause if you did girl you would not, do those things you do." _She didn't even care if people knew who she was singing to, at this point she was ready to just lay it all out on the line and let everyone know how much she loved Quinn Fabray.

And how badly Quinn Fabray had broken her heart.

_"You killed my heart just to see if, I will rise, above your anger and above your lies." _She pointed directly at the blonde, all the while taking in the Glee club members reactions as she did so.

Finn's expression was changing from confused to angry. His eyebrows were knitted together and his lips made a perfect 'o' as he stared at his two ex-girlfriends. Mercedes, Kurt, and Sam were smacking their legs to the beat of the song and grinning like mad. Santana looked as if she were going to tackle Rachel, but Rachel just ignored the Latina. Brittany looked confused, but that was a completely normal reaction. Tina, Mike, Artie, and Mr. Schuester were staring at Quinn, their eyes wide, almost as if they had no idea that Rachel felt so strongly about the blonde. Noah looked annoyed and he was looking everywhere but at Rachel. And finally, Quinn, looked sad. And all Rachel wanted to do was stop singing and choose a completely different love song to sing to the girl but she knew she couldn't.

She knew she had to stay strong.

So instead she rocked her head to the beat and did a slow twirl, trying to ignore her aching heart.

_"And all I see of you, is when you're not so busy, oh you're not so busy!"_

She made her way up the steps to Kurt and circled her fingers along his shoulders, grinning at her best friend as he encouraged her with a wink of his eye.

_"And you don't love me the way that, I love you. 'Cause if you did girl you would not, do the things you do." _She gave Kurt a high-five and jumped down a row to Sam, the heroic boy who she could call her savior. She grinned at him and reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers and swinging their arms between them._ "You turned my life around, before that I am glad, however much I love you this love is getting bad." _She reached down and pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek before jumping back down towards the center of the choir room, shaking her head to the beat.

_"And oh my darling look at you, the words that only you could use, but you know you'll always be my girl, girl..."_ She gave Quinn a sad smile that the blonde didn't return before she turned and gripped the microphone tighter. She quickly made her way over to Brad who had a blank expression on his face, like he always did. Sometimes she wondered if the guy even had feelings.

_"I'll take you out just for a bite, show you all the city sites, but you know you'll always be my girl, girl..." _As she circled the piano she slowly made her way to Quinn and took a few calming breaths as she approached. As she neared the blonde's eyes got slightly wider and her cheeks darkened.

She came to a halt in front of the blonde and tapped her foot against the ground, swaying her head with the sound of the guitar.

_"But you don't love me the way that, I love you. 'Cause if you did girl you would not, do those things you do, you killed my heart just to see if, I will rise-" _She stopped and leaned forward, gripping the chair right beside Quinn's shoulders and she reveled in the sight of the blonde swallowing thickly, her eyes dark. "_Above your anger and above your lies!"_

_"But you don't love me you don't care, woman. And you don't love me you don't care, woman!" _She brought her hand up and gently brushed it against Quinn's shoulder before shaking her head and turning suddenly feeling the ache in her chest to return.

_"'Cause you don't love me you don't care, woman, if you don't love me you don't care, woman!" _She came to a stop, dropping her head to the ground and nearly cracked a smile when three loud voice began hollering for her.

Only three.

And as she glanced up she knew exactly who it was.

Kurt, Mercedes, and Sam were standing, clapping their hands loudly.

"Uhm-" Finn raised his hand, his fingers twitching as he glanced at Mr. Schuester.

The teacher merely nodded, still appearing to be in a state of shock.

"Were you singing that song to Quinn?" He asked, cocking one eyebrow up and pointing at the blonde.

Rachel chuckled and licked her lips. "Yes."

"Rachel!" Mr. Schuester grunted, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"I'm not going to lie." She merely shrugged and glanced at Kurt, softly nodding her head. "And now for my next song-" She paused, pursing her lips to the side. "Well I'll explain this song after I'm done singing it."

Kurt made his way down towards her and reached for the other microphone that was placed in one of the stands before taking Rachel's hand and giving it a soft squeeze. Just by the way he was looking at her, Rachel knew the boy was proud of her.

And she was even proud of herself.

Never in a million years did she think she would sing a song like that to Quinn.

But she did.

"Hit it!" Kurt said with a shake of his head to the boy standing beside his electric keyboard.

_"We're doing it..." _Kurt sang and stepped forward, raking his gaze along the Glee club members faces.

_"I look around me, but all I seem to see, is people going nowhere, expecting sympathy." _He sang out and Rachel knew he was pointedly staring at Noah.

While the other song was for Quinn this song was more directed towards Noah.

_"It's like we're going through the motions, of a scripted destiny." _She leaped up onto the balls of her feet and swung her hips to the side in a dorky way and she was happy when Tina, Mike, and Artie flashed a grin. At least they seemed to be enjoying their song._ "Tell me where's our inspiration, if life wont wait, I guess it's up to me!"_

_"Woah!" _She met Kurt back in the middle of the choir room and wrapped her arm around his waist, tilting her head onto his shoulder._ "No, we're not gonna waste another moment in this town. Woah! And we won't come back your world is calling out. Woah! We'll leave the past in the past, gonna find the future." _She released the boys waist and immediately made her way to over where Noah was sitting, his nostrils flaring as he stared at the two of them.

_"If misery loves company well, so long, you'll miss me when I'm gone!" _She shook her finger in front of his face and smirked at him. _"Ooh, ooh, ooh. You're gonna miss me when I'm gone. Ooh, ooh, ooh."_

She stared at Noah for a few seconds longer, smiling smugly at him, before turning and jumping back down towards Kurt who was opening his mouth to belt out the next line.

_"Procrastination, running circles in my head. While you sit there contemplating, you wound up left for dead..." _He turned to Rachel and grinned widely and she returned the smile. "_Left for dead!" _

_"Life is what happens while you're busy making your excuses. Another day, another casualty." _She spread her arms wide, flinging her hair over her shoulder. "_And that won't happen to me."_

She stared at her best friend and just as he was about to open his mouth to sing out the next line, he was interrupted by Sam who stood up from his chair and thrust his fist into the air.

_"Let's go!"_

_"Won't look back, when I say goodbye." _She gave Sam a high-five as she walked towards Quinn and gave her a sad look._ "I'm gonna leave there's a hole behind me, gonna take what's mine tonight. Because every wasted day becomes a wasted chance, you're gonna wake up feeling sorry, because life won't wait, I guess it's up to you..." _She turned and allowed Sam to pick her up and twirl her in a circle, all while she giggled.

_"Ooh, ooh, ooh." _She heard some of the soft voices of her fellow Glee club members singing and she was ecstatic as she reached for Sam's waist, pulling him snugly against her side while Kurt came over and draped his arm over her shoulder.

_"You're gonna miss me when I'm gone," _She stared at Quinn pointedly and she watched the girl swallow, glancing down at the ground, "_you're gonna miss me when I'm gone." _She waited for a few beats longer to see if the girl would look at her before she glanced up at Noah, whose eyebrows were knitted together and his hands were clenched into fists. "_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone. You're gonna miss me when I'm gone!"_

She waited as the song drifted to a close before she set her microphone in Kurt's hand.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kurt whispered in her ear as he leaned over to thank Sam for joining them during the song.

Rachel nodded, reaching for his hand and giving it one gentle squeeze. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Kurt nodded and turned, making his way back up to his seat, a small smile on his face.

Once he was seated, Rachel finally turned her eyes to her other Glee club members.

"As I said before the song started, I would explain why I chose this song to sing today." She said, clasping her hands together in front of her body. "All I've ever wanted in my life was to be accepted. I've grown up being that annoying little girl who wants everything too much. No one would even take time out of their day to notice me and-" She paused feeling her stomach twirling into knots and tears fill the corners of her eyes. "And you guys did... And I just wanted to thank you for t-that."

She could see on some of the kids faces that they looked genuinely touched by what she was saying, but others, like Noah looked angry and annoyed.

But she couldn't care less.

"But I also wanted to say, even though you guys noticed me, that didn't mean you treated me the best." She straightened and glanced at Kurt who was grinning, a gleam in his eye. "To be honest, most of you treated me like utter crap all throughout high school. And you know what?"

She let the question hang in the air, as she flickered her gaze to all of them, landing on Mr. Schuester who looked as if he were going to interrupt.

"Screw you-" She paused shaking her head. "No, no, fuck you. Fuck all of you."

It was obvious everyone except Mercedes, Kurt, and Sam were a bit shocked with her outburst.

Even Quinn's eyes were wide and Noah's jaw was slightly unhinged.

"I got accepted into NYADA and in three weeks I'm going to be out there in New York City, while all of you, or most of you, will be stuck here in Lima. I'm going to forget about all of you and how badly you treated me because I will be focusing my time on my studies and on Broadway." She paused and pointed out towards the people listening to her. "And all of you, you won't be busy doing anything and all you will be able to think about is how badly you treated me."

She glanced at each and everyone one of them and frowned.

"Tina, Mike, and Artie this doesn't really apply to you so I apologize if you are at all offended." The trio didn't seem phased and just merely shrugged their shoulders.

"Mr. Schuester," She said and the man tilted his head to the side, "fuck you for trying to ruin my career."

"Finn," She turned to the tall boy who had his mouth open and his eyebrows together, "fuck you for-" She paused curious about why she hated him so much. "Fuck you for dating Quinn."

"Santana," The Latina looked livid, "fuck you for being a bitch."

"Brittany," She turned to look at the blonde who looked as if she hadn't been paying attention the whole time, "I should have included you with Mike, Tina, and Artie because you haven't done anything wrong, so I apologize for that."

"Noah," She turned to the boy whose forearms were flexing across his chest, "there are so many things I could say fuck you for, but I'll keep it narrowed down. Fuck you for being a homophobic asshole. Fuck you for ruining my last few weeks of high school. Fuck you for threatening me. And I hope you end up alone or in jail. Overall, _fuck you._" She spat and the boy dropped his gaze to the floor.

And finally she stopped her eyes on Quinn. She felt her heart bursting with love but she pushed it down as she took a step closer to the blonde, who was avoiding her gaze. She brought her hand out and gripped Quinn's. The blonde still didn't look up.

The room disappeared around them and she sucked in a breath.

"Quinn," She said quietly.

It took her a few seconds, but the blonde reluctantly tore her gaze up to Rachel's, her eyes filled with regret and Rachel knew they should be. She should regret everything she put her through.

"Fuck you for breaking my heart." She whimpered, feeling wetness hit her upper lip from the tear that was shed.

She gave the hand she was holding one gentle squeeze before turning, giving Kurt a somber look. She stared out at the faces she had grown to love and hate and finally nodded before turning and marching out of the choir room, leaving high school behind her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: **

Seven Months Later

It could have only been around nine in the morning when she felt the annoying sensation of water dripping into her ear.

She let out a guttural groan and brought her hand up to slap at the air, but when her palm connected with skin she heard a muffled grunt which was quickly followed by a hissed curse. And then all hell broke loose and she felt water being poured onto her head, drenching her.

"_Oh!_" She screeched as she careened upwards, smacking her head against the wall. Pain shot through the edge of her forehead and she sucked in a sharp breath, bringing her hand up to rub at the spot that had connected with the wall. "Shit!" She hissed, clenching her teeth together.

Quinn cradled her head into her right arm, willing the throbbing in her head to stop as she glanced around to track down her culprit.

She found a short brunette standing at the side of her bed, one towel draped over her shoulder, a bucket in her hand, and a mischievous shit-eating grin on her face.

"Scarlett..." She growled.

Of course it was her annoying roommate that constantly tried to antagonize the shit out of her.

"What the hell was that?" She groaned, swinging her legs out from underneath her and setting her feet down on the hardwood floor of her room. She flexed her toes and brought her hands up to stretch above her head, just vaguely shivering at the feeling of water trailing down the back of her neck.

"You told me to be a good roommate." The brunette shrugged, grabbing the towel from around her shoulders and throwing it at Quinn. "I woke you up before eleven, like you said you wanted me to last night." The brunette proceeded to travel around the room, picking up various items of Quinn's clothing on the floor that the blonde hadn't bothered to pick up.

College had made her messy and completely unorganized.

But thankfully with the slight OCD Scarlett had, their dorm managed to stay spotless.

"Car and I made breakfast so hurry up and get your ass out of bed." The brunette informed, studying the room around her before turning back to the blonde that was still sitting on the edge of her bed.

Quinn cocked one eyebrow up, obviously asking something from her roommate.

Scarlett looked as if she was going to ignore the blonde, but when Quinn tilted her head to the side, in that way that always got to her, the brunette resigned, dropping her shoulders.

"Okay, fine..." Scarlett groaned, dropping down beside Quinn and giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for dumping water on you and rudely waking you up. But in my defense, you told me to wake you up."

The blonde smiled smugly. Even though it wasn't exactly the type of apology she was looking for, it worked. She brought the towel up to her head and began shaking it around her short, shaggy hair in hopes of drying it.

After a minute of scrubbing her head she quickly sat up and cracked her neck to the side before turning back to Scarlett, studying the girl sitting in front of her.

She was quickly brought back to the first time she had ever met the fierce brunette.

It was a warm summer day in August when she traveled up to New Haven for the first time. She had three bags slung around her shoulders and a wide grin on her face as she made her way into her dorm building. College was something she had looked forward to since the day she was a freshman in high school and now that she was finally setting foot on _her_ college campus, she couldn't help but be ecstatic.

Her smiling face quickly fell though, whenever a growling boy shoved his way past her in search for what she assumed to be his dorm room partner. And that's when she realized everyone looked like that, they all looked frantic and nervous... like chickens with their heads cut off.

It was all overwhelming for a small town girl like herself and she was happy to be swept away by a brunette, who grinned upon seeing her.

"Can I help you with anything?" Scarlett had asked, snapping her gum loudly as she cocked one eyebrow up at the taller blonde in front of her.

Being a bit shorter than herself, Scarlett had light auburn hair, with freckles crossing the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. She had pale skin and bright green eyes that were curious and always lit up. But that wasn't what intimidated Quinn at first. What intimidated Quinn was the way the girl had such a huge personality. Even from only asking her a question, Quinn could tell. The blonde held herself in such a confident, even a bit cocky way, that she knew the girl was a ticking bomb full of surprises. Everything Scarlett did from then on was loud and epic, she took advantage of every opportunity that life handed her and she went into her problems head first.

That was how Scarlett reminded her of... of Rachel.

Shortly after Quinn had handed over her schedule, the shorter girl had squealed and brought her hands down to grasp Quinn's, practically dragging her to the dorm room before announcing they were roommates.

A few days later, Quinn still hadn't completely shown herself to her roommate, who was quickly becoming agitated with her.

Scarlett had a short temper and when she got set off she tended to be snippy and harsh.

So when Quinn had carelessly thrown one of her dishes in the sink, Scarlett had screamed in annoyance, pining Quinn to the counter before proceeding to yell at her and tell her all about how being clean was a good thing. And how she was getting annoyed that they had been roommates for a few days and the blonde still hadn't opened up about anything. Quinn knew all about Scarlett's family, her high school life, the first job she ever had, and basically everything you could know about someone in such a short amount of time... where Scarlett hardly knew where Quinn grew up. Scarlett had said, quote, "_I want another best friend besides my girlfriend!_"

That was another thing about Scarlett that fascinated Quinn.

She was a flaming homosexual and she didn't care who knew about it.

Quinn admired that about her.

That was just another way the brunette reminded her of... of Rachel.

Scarlett wasn't ashamed of herself. She was proud of who she was and she flaunted it... not in the annoying way someone can push something in your face, but more in the way that she didn't mind holding her girlfriend's hand in public, ignoring the looks she received.

Anyway, after the first big blow up from Scarlett, Quinn had gradually began to open up, in fear of the brunette releasing _the wrath _on her again.

She had started off slow, very reluctantly, sharing secrets about herself to the brunette. Everything had been going fine until about two weeks later when Quinn's emotions got the best of her and she blew up in front of some very important company.

It was the first time she had met Scarlett's girlfriend, Carmen. Sure, she had heard about the girl, but it was a whole different experience putting the name to the face.

They had shook hands and settled down onto the couch to watch a movie. About halfway through the movie though, Quinn had a question about what was going on between the characters and she glanced over only to be met with Carmen's tongue shoved down her roommates throat.

The sight haunted her.

Not because it disgusted her but because she had only dreamed of doing that with _her _a hundred times.

After witnessing her roommate and her girlfriend making out she had ran out of the room, tears falling down her cheeks, and her heart breaking. She had only been alone for three minutes when the door opened and Scarlett was settling on the bed beside her, pulling her into her lap.

And that was the night she revealed everything.

Everything from being in love with Noah Puckerman and giving her virginity to him. Everything about walking in on Santana and Brittany when she was confused about her own feelings. Everything about falling head over heels for Rachel and being a complete bitch to her. Everything about her parents strict religious rules and her father gripping her so hard she bruised. Literally _everything_.

After she had stopped crying a half an hour later, Carmen was ushered into the room and brought down to sit beside Quinn.

They shared a few laughs, a few more tears, but most of all, they shared a bond.

That was the night Scarlett Branson and Carmen Filion became her best friends.

Sure, she still kept in touch with Brittany and Santana, but she only heard from them about twice a month.

And she was pretty sure the two former Cheerios wouldn't mind being replaced by her roommate and her roommates girlfriend.

But ever since that night she had confessed it all, Scarlett was always there for her. Even Carmen was there when Scarlett had fallen asleep on the couch and the brunette was over, staying the night and working on her latest Sudoku puzzle.

Whenever Quinn would get drunk at some frat party, stumbling into the dorm at three in the morning, Scarlett would be there to scoop her up and cuddle with her on her bed, allowing the blonde to mumble incoherently about Rachel. The only times Quinn ever got drunk was when she wanted to get Rachel off her mind.

It was a terrible habit and she was pretty sure it was the first steps of becoming an alcoholic.

Scarlett was there whenever Quinn need Ben and Jerry's and a sappy chick flick on a Saturday night.

The short freckle-faced brunette was her best friend, and she was the second best person in the world. Her girlfriend being the third best person... and Rachel being the first.

"Q, you've been staring at me for the past five minutes." Scarlett's voice broke through her trance and Quinn was immediately brought back to the reality by the brunette standing in front of her, hands on her hips. "Penny for your thoughts, kid?"

Quinn's lips quirked up at the corners and she just shook her head.

"Nothing, Scar...I was just thinking how lucky I was to have you as a best friend."

The brunette's bright green eyes flashed with adoration for a second before she matched Quinn's grin.

"Come on, kid, let's go get some of my girlfriend's delicious food."

* * *

><p>"Car, I know you are hitting me under the table."<p>

"It's Qui-"

"I'm not stupid, babe. Quit hitting me."

"It's not me, I swear."

"Quit hitting me or I won't touch you for a month."

"Oh, it was _so_ me."

"Guys!" Quinn groaned from her chair that sat across the counter from the bickering couple. She didn't have anything opposed against the couple having sex... she was a lesbian after all and her friends were admittedly, very hot. But nonetheless, she didn't need the picture of her two best friends going at it like rabbits in her head. "Was it really necessary to throw that little detail of your sex life in there?"

Scarlett's eyes rolled so far back in her head, Quinn thought they were going to disappear. "Oh please, Q, don't pretend you don't hear my girl screaming my na-_Ow!" _

"Quit talking about our sex life!" Carmen hissed, giving Quinn an apologetic smile as she stabbed her fork into one of her homemade waffles.

Scarlett and Carmen were the model couple in Quinn's eyes. They were everything she had wanted to be with Rachel.

They bickered constantly, they made love endlessly, and they loved each other so much it was like a burning ball of flame that was about to erupt and set the whole world on fire. They loved with everything that they had in them and it showed in their eyes. They cared for each other over the great big things and also the small little things. Whenever Carmen could see Scarlett was out of shampoo, she would go out of her way and get a new bottle for her girlfriend. Whenever Scarlett could tell Carmen was lacking in the grocery shopping, she would go out and stock up the brunette's fridge, including some ice cream in the freezer.

The little things in their relationship was what made them what they were.

They evened each other out. They were on a seesaw, balancing each other out.

Carmen would put something into the relationship and Scarlett would take something from the relationship and vice versa.

For example, coming into the relationship Carmen was deathly afraid of heights. But with much persuasion and much trust, she managed to go on top of the Empire State Building, clutching her girlfriend desperately. And from Scarlett's side she came into the relationship being a picky eater... well with the help from her girlfriend, she had managed to try just about every restaurant in all of New York.

Scarlett had ADHD and tended to get distracted by the easiest things. But whenever Carmen was around, she never found interest in anything besides the girl. Carmen suffered from mild depression and there were times when she would break down crying for no reason. Most people would ask her what was wrong, but Scarlett never once did that. Instead, she scooped the girl up in her arms and held her tightly until the girl dozed off.

They were so perfect for each other, it was disgusting. They didn't have to ask for things, it was always a given in their relationship.

They just balanced on their seesaw.

Scarlett was the zig to Carmen's zag. She was the hot to Carmen's cold. She was the yin to her yang.

And Quinn only hoped someday she could have something like that with someone.

She cleared her thoughts, stabbing her fork into her own waffle, suddenly bitter as she watched the couple interact in front of her.

Carmen leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the tip of Scarlett's nose to apologize for hitting the girl underneath the table. Scarlett's previously hard face softened and she looked at her girlfriend with adoration, her green eyes a shade brighter.

"God, I love you." Scarlett whispered instinctively.

Carmen's face lit up like when you watched fireworks on the Fourth of July.

"I love you too."

They held their gaze for an uncomfortable period of time before Quinn cleared her throat, trying to stop the trance the two had on each other.

It wasn't that she didn't want the girls to act like that, it was that she didn't want them to act like that in front of her.

It reminded her of what she _could_ of had before she fucked it all up.

Scarlett glanced at Quinn out of the corner of her eye and Quinn saw the flash of sympathy in the girls eyes before she turned back to her girlfriend, pecking her once more on the lips before settling back down in her chair again.

The brunette took the last bite of her waffle before scooting off the stool, her feet hitting the hardwood floor with a soft thump.

"Well Car, Q, I have class in fifteen minutes." The brunette announced, walking over to the coat hanger and pulling her brown cover up over her shoulders.

"Scarlett, I told you to get a heavier jacket, it's the middle of December!" Carmen growled from her seat, but was quickly ignored by Scarlett who rolled her eyes and shoved on her brown boots.

"Q, take care of my girl while I'm gone. And in return, I'll bring back some movies to watch." Scarlett announced, walking back towards the counter. "I say the new Zac Efron movie, yes?"

"No," Carmen groaned from her seat, and Quinn silently agreed with the brunette, "no more sappy chick flicks. Get that movie _Shame_ we were talking about a few weeks ago."

Scarlett's face fell into a pout and she sunk her shoulders. "But why?"

"Because we watched your movie last week and you were treated to a date by me a few nights ago, so it's my turn to call the shots."

Another prime example of how they evened each other out.

They split their date nights.

"Fine," Scarlett grunted, taking a step closer to her girlfriend, her bottom lip still sticking out sadly, "can I at least have a kiss?"

"You don't even have to ask," Carmen breathed, pulling her girlfriend closer by the collar of her coat and gently pressing their lips together.

Quinn slowly turned her head away, but she couldn't help glancing at the pair from beneath her bangs.

Scarlett smiled into the kiss and leaned further into her girlfriend, causing the stool to tip back and scrap against the floor.

Carmen's shriek was muffled by Scarlett's lips on hers, as she wrapped her arms around Carmen's waist, holding her upright as she peppered her face with kisses, causing Carmen to erupt in a fit of giggles. The interaction was adorable, for lack of a better terms, and Quinn's stomach churned with jealousy.

"I love you." Scarlett breathed, pulling back after pecking Carmen's cheek once more.

"I adore you." Carmen cooed back, causing Scarlett to let out an annoyed huff.

"Really?"

Carmen grinned from ear to ear. "I fancy you?"

Scarlett shook her head.

"I cherish you?"

"Carmen..."

"I looooo-I'm fond of you?"

"Carmen Filion!"

"Okay, okay! I love you, I love you!" Carmen squealed when her girlfriend began pinching her sides in an attempt to give in.

Scarlett grinned triumphantly, capturing her lips once more before turning and gripping her messenger bag from the counter, flinging it over her shoulder.

Quinn finally brought her eyes up and gave Scarlett a crooked smile, which the brunette quickly returned.

"See ya later, Qui-bitch!"

And the quick moment they had been sharing with their eyes was quickly ruined as Scarlett scurried out, avoiding the paper towels being chucked at her head.

"I hate you!"

"Love you too!"

The door slammed shut and Quinn was left alone with a chewing Italian across from her who was grinning like a lovesick puppy.

"I don't understand how you have put up with that for nearly two years." Quinn grumbled, running her hand along the back of her neck. "I've only lived with her for a few months and I can't stand her. Everyday I have an internal struggle, debating whether or not to murder her in her sleep."

Carmen's soft giggle floated towards Quinn's ears and Quinn grinned up at the girl who popped a strip of bacon into her mouth.

The girl in front of her was gorgeous to say the least. Scarlett had the pale, shy, innocent look to her when she was the exact opposite, personality wise. Carmen looked as if she were a rebellious, sexy, bitchy girl when in reality, her personality was the exact opposite. Carmen was right around the same height as Quinn and she had long brown - nearly black hair, that flowed to the ends of her shoulder blades. She had dark eyes that accentuated her tan skin tone. Her cheeks were rounded and she had the cutest dimple on her chin that was more prominent whenever she grinned.

She was the complete opposite of her short, pale girlfriend.

"If it makes you feel any better, I feel like that too." Carmen said nonchalantly, with a shrug of her shoulders.

Quinn narrowed her eyes, cocking one eyebrow up. "Then why are you with her?"

Carmen grinned and bit down on her bottom lip as she shook her head, her dark brown hair falling into her face. She quickly pushed it out of her way and glanced up at Quinn, suddenly serious. "Do you want a thoughtful, drawn out answer or a short and sweet one?"

"I-uhm?" Quinn bit her tongue and shook her head.

What did she want?

She never had heard the full story about Carmen and Scarlett, just the short sweet details. She couldn't lie and say she didn't want to hear it because she did. But if getting together was anything like how the couple were now, Quinn didn't want to hear it because she didn't know if her heart could take it. Or her stomach because she was ninety percent positive she could still feel the churning of jealousy in there.

"The long answer is good... I guess..." Quinn dropped her fork on her plate and brought her elbows up to rest on the wood counter, tilting her head to the side as Carmen grinned.

The brunette brought a napkin up to her mouth and wiped at her lips quickly. She hopped off the seat and grabbed both her and Quinn's plate before walking over to the sink and smashing the plates against the metal. Quinn heard the plates clatter for a brief second before the brunette crossed her eyesight once again. Carmen returned to her seat with a water in her hands. She unscrewed the cap and quickly took a swig out of the bottle before setting it back down and licking her lips, finally returning her attention back to Quinn.

"This may take awhile." Carmen warned before leaning forward and twirling a single piece of hair around her finger.

Quinn quickly shrugged before glancing at the clock over Carmen's shoulder. "We have an hour and a half before Scar's due back, we've got time."

"Okay, then let's get on with it." Carmen exhaled loudly, biting down on her bottom lip. "I assume you know we met last year on some blogging website about kids that will be attending Yale in the fall. Well, we got to talking and I automatically fell for her. She was everything I wasn't. Her strengths were my weaknesses, her weaknesses were my strengths, you know?"

Quinn didn't know, but she nodded her head anyway.

"I'm more reserved and laid back. I am content with sitting at home on the weekends and reading a book. Scar's one of those people that has to be constantly doing something and constantly at the center of everyone's attention." Carmen swallowed, sticking her tongue out to the side of her mouth. "But she didn't like beg for attention like most people did, attention managed to always land on her because that is the type of person she is."

Quinn knew exactly what the brunette was talking about.

Not only was Carmen describing Scarlett in that moment, she was also describing Rachel.

"Anyway, after we talked for a few months, we were off to Yale and that's when we met for the first time. I remember the first time I saw her..." The brunette trailed off, causing Quinn's eyebrows to shoot up.

A flash of adoration and pure giddiness crossed the brunette's face and a red blush appeared on her cheeks.

"The first time I saw her, I felt like..." She trailed off again and chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Like, I actually started living. I had spent seventeen years of my life just drifting along, never actually _doing _anything until I met her. After I met her I knew what it was like to live. I knew what it was like to have to take care of two hearts, not just one."

"She takes care of my heart and I take care of hers. I love her so much, I'm willing to put the fate of my heart in her hands." Carmen explained. "Not to say, we haven't had our bad times, we certainly have. When I'm not falling in love with her all over again, I'm pissed off at her. I want to rip out her hair every other day, and she pushes me to my limits so many times that I nearly scream in frustration."

The blonde chuckled causing the brunette to follow.

"That is the best type of love in my opinion. She pushes me to my absolute limit, but she never manages to push me so hard that I start hating her, or myself. I hate her, but I love her." Carmen said a helpless smile on her face and a shrug on her shoulders. "And to answer your question earlier, why her?"

Quinn leaned forward on her hands, waiting for Carmen to answer.

"I didn't choose her and she didn't choose me. If I had a choice she would be the last person in the world I would be with. It was never a option whether or not to be with her. We just... we just _were._ We _are._.." Carmen said with a shrug, lining her lips up in a tight line before grinning. "Now I have a question for you?"

Quinn barely even registered what the girl was saying, her thoughts racing.

It was all making sense to her. Like some cliche romantic comedy. Rachel was never a choice for her. She was never an option. She just _was. _She always had been and Quinn was to narrow minded and blind to see it. She would never have a perfect relationship, and she didn't want one. She wanted that imperfect thing with Rachel.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she sucked in a breath.

Why was she in New Haven?

Why wasn't she sweeping Rachel off her feet?

Why had she been such an idiot?

It was right in front of her the whole time!

Images flooded her head.

Rachel grinning mischievously as she clenched the paint marker in her hand. Rachel smiling proudly at her as she burst out into song with Sam. Rachel looking at her while singing a duet with Finn. Rachel looking like she had seen God for the first time whenever Quinn did her makeup. Rachel singing Christina Perri to her. _Her! _Rachel carrying her home drunk off her ass. Subtly feeling Rachel's eyes on her face as they watched _The Little Fockers. _That feeling of butterflies in her stomach as Rachel opened her birthday present from Quinn. Climbing into Rachel's window just to apologize and to try and tell her how she felt but failing. Dancing with Rachel while the brunette sang in her ear wistfully. Rachel twirling in front of her eyes at her dance competition. Successfully beating Rachel's dads at board games. The feeling of Rachel's hands cupping her waist as they skated. Feeling the flowers stem scrape her sweaty palms as she watched Rachel sing in West Side Story. Rachel curled into her front as they spooned. Rachel's look of love that final day in the choir room. That look of... of nothing as Rachel whispered the words that broke Quinn altogether.

_Fuck you for breaking my heart._

It all made sense now.

It hadn't been about Rachel loving her, or being ashamed of Rachel loving her.

It had been all about her loving Rachel and being to chicken shit to do anything about it!

Quinn blinked once glancing up at the brunette who had her eyebrow cocked up.

Carmen chuckled at the girls puzzled expression. "That girl you always cry about, why her?"

Even though Quinn felt as if she had the biggest epiphany in her life, she still couldn't help but snorting.

"I don't even know where to begin." She admitted.

Carmen shrugged her shoulders, her head cocking to the side. "Why don't you tell me what you love about her?"

"I can do that!" Quinn said cheerfully, her thoughts already going to the mental list she had made for all the reasons she loved Rachel Berry. The list was longer than a thousand reasons, but she thought she could it narrow it down to the small ones.

"I love her for all the reasons she doesn't love herself." Quinn explained, crossing her fingers on the counter and glancing down at the marble rocks that were embedded into the counter top. "She's annoying, so annoying, you want to shoot yourself sometimes. But being that annoying is just a natural Rachel Berry trait. I wouldn't love Rachel if she wasn't annoying."

Reason number one; _check._

"She's ambitious too, something I've never been good at..." Quinn trailed off, rethinking what she just said. "I mean I'm ambitious, but not like her. She's ambitious over things like... well, like, loving me for example. I've never been ambitious with things that my family has disapproved with. And she just doesn't care. Sometimes her ambition gets to her head, but that's why I liked being there for her. I told her when she was being a pain in the ass and when she was getting too selfish. And she told me when I was being a bitch and too mysterious."

"I love her voice, I always have, even when I thought I hated her. You would have to be deaf to think Rachel Berry is not talented." Quinn didn't realize it, but her eyes were bright with passion and Carmen had a small hint of a smirk playing at her lips, but Quinn was to absorbed in explaining the minor details of why she loved Rachel to notice.

"She's very good at expressing what she is feeling and that is why we are polar opposites. Believe it or not, I don't cry that much. Rachel has always been the crier out of us, but lately my hearts just been so bent out of shape, I can't control what I'm feeling. Rachel can keep everything she is feeling under control. But she is definitely a crier... if that makes any sense at all."

Quinn gnawed on her bottom lip, thinking of her final reason.

"And Rachel's... Rachel can be very selfish, but also very, very generous. She may have wanted every solo ever in Glee club, but she still cared about the kids in it. Even after Finn broke her heart, she still never badmouthed him... well not to me at least. She always saw the good in a boy named, Puck, who was a total ass bag. And she was constantly putting me before herself, and I think that's what made us not work out in the end..." Quinn admitted, dropping her head. "She didn't care enough about herself."

Carmen nodded, pursing her lips to the side as she glanced down.

"Do you want to know what I think?"

Did she?

Quinn trailed her gaze north to meet Carmen's sympathetic eyes before nodding slowly.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" Carmen blurted out, throwing her hands in the air. "Why are you not off your ass and going after this girl? The way you described her was like a married couple. If my mother had ever described my father like that, they would still be married!"

"I-I," Quinn stammered, bewildered at the sudden change of topic.

"Quinn, I am going to assume you have never exactly been given tough love... well I'm about to give it to you." Carmen said, slapping her palms against the marble counter top. "_Man the fuck up._ Get off your stupid, prideful, high horse and go after your girl. Who gives a damn about what's right and what's wrong. It's _love._" Carmen insinuated. "You shouldn't have to question it and if you are questioning it, well then you are just a little kid stuck in a eighteen year old's body. Now, I'm giving you about twenty minutes to pack, and if you are not out of this building and on your way to wherever this chick goes to school, I will see that Scarlett personally kicks you out of the dorm and I will move in, got it?"

Quinn was speechless. But her thoughts were racing, and she knew damn well that the girl sitting in front of her was right.

It was high time she grew up and got her girl.

She leaped off the stool and sprinted over to her bedroom door, but before she crossed the barrier into her bedroom she risked a glance over her shoulder.

"Carmen?"

"Yes?"

"I hope I can love Rachel the way that you love Scarlett."

Carmen's face fell into an expression of compassion.

"Oh, Quinn, you already do. You just got to open your eyes; and your heart and see it."

* * *

><p>Standing in front of her mahogany door had never been more nerve-wracking.<p>

She hadn't told her parents she was planning a surprise trip home, hell, _she _didn't even know she was planning a surprise trip home until about seven hours prior. She had slipped out of her dorm room, giving Carmen a quick peck on the cheek and thanking her for everything. She was immediately at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, sitting on a flight to Columbus. Before she took off she managed to shoot out a quick text to Scarlett, explaining how fucking awesome her girlfriend was.

And when she got off the plane she received a sweet reply that said, _'Fuck yeah, she's top bitch around here. Why do you think I am with her? But back off, kid, she's mine. Go get your girl. I believe in you. 3' _

She even got a little teary-eyed at the message.

People like Scarlett and Carmen were definitely people she needed to surround herself with.

On the two hour bus ride home to Lima, she contemplated what she was going to say to her parents. Her ideas had went back and forth between telling them to fuck off and that she was an adult and that she could to what she wanted to begging for their acceptance.

Her whole life that is what she yearned for was acceptance. And she knew as soon as she opened her mouth and told her parents that she was gay, they would flip out, even though they already sort of knew. And the last thing she would get is acceptance.

In the end, she knew the moment she stepped into the threshold of her house, her whole story would completely change and she would just wing it. In nerve-wracking situations like this one, that's all she did was wing it.

Taking one last final breath, she shoved her key into the hole and quickly twisted the knob, opening the door. She stepped into the front hallway, glancing around, in search for her mother and father. When seeing neither, she quickly shut the door behind her and walked into the living room, spotting a chunk of blonde hair belonging to her mother on the couch. Her father sat in the recliner in the corner of the room and when her sneaker caused the hardwood floor to squeak loudly both of their eyes shot to hers, alerted.

"Quinnie!" Judy was the first to exclaim, leaping to her feet and rushing over to her daughter and squeezing her up in a tight hug. "What are you doing home? I thought you weren't coming home for Christmas break?"

"I wasn't." Her voice was soft and anxious as she smiled softly at the older woman who was gripping her tightly around the shoulders.

She glanced over her mothers shoulder to her father, who had a grin on his face as he rose to his feet to hug his daughter.

"Quinn, we weren't expecting you home." Russell boomed.

"Me neither." Quinn whimpered, suddenly feeling queasy.

She wasn't as worried about her mother as she was her father. He was obviously the intimidating one.

She could still feel his hands clenching around her wrist tightly. She could still feel the burst of pain shooting up her forearm.

"Honey, you look a little flushed," Judy murmured concerned, running her cold hands over Quinn's blazing forehead, "my goodness, Quinnie, you are burning up!"

"I-uhm," Quinn swallowed, "I actually have to tell you guys something... that's why I'm here. And I'd rather say it now because I'm not staying for very long. I have to be back in New York by tomorrow morning."

"So soon?" Russell questioned, dropping his hand to Quinn's shoulder and squeezing it. To the man, he must have thought he was being reassuring, but Quinn nearly squeaked in fear from the gentle caress. She had no clue how her father was going to react to her news but she knew it wasn't going to be good.

"I have to do it now," She murmured unconvincingly, "before I wimp out."

"Honey, I think you should just sit dow-"

"No, mom!" She yelled desperately, causing her mother to snap her mouth close. She could feel her nails digging into her palms at her sides. She could feel her hands beginning to shake slightly. "I have to do this now, so can you both please sit?"

Russell's eyebrows were quickly narrowed and he clenched his jaw tightly before nodding, gripping Judy's wrist and bringing her over to the couch she had been occupying moments before.

Quinn sighed, running her sweaty palms along her jeans as she quickly made her way to stand in front of the television. She clasped her hands in front of her before realizing how stupid she looked. She brought her arms up to cross over her chest, but shook her head, still not entirely happy with her stance. So she settled with dropping her hands behind her back, gripping her right wrist in her left hand and squeezing once to reassure herself.

She had never been this nervous in her entire life. Not even when she gave Rachel her birthday present. Not even when she preformed at the homeless shelter during her senior year. This moment by far exceeded both of those memories.

"Spit it out, Quinn." Russell commanded, waving one arm in front of his face as if to tell her to get a move on it.

"Well, I-uhm," Quinn started, feeling stupid at the lame attempt, "I've just recently started college and while I was there I've had some... epiphanies." She murmured, licking her dry lips and swallowing so she could get moisture back in her throat. "My roommate, Scarlett, who I've told you about before is awesome and I love her to death, she is one of my best friends. And well, I haven't been totally honest with you two about who she is... I've failed to mention that she is gay and dating a girl name-"

"What is with you and these homosexuals? I swear, America is becoming an abomination to live in! First that Berry girl and now this? I hate the fact that you are surrounded by these people everyday, it's a sham-"

"Dad!" Quinn tried.

"Maybe you should have went to Louisville, Lucy. They had a great cheer leading program and you got a scholarship there. Although, Yale is very prestigious and it's a great image for the Fabray family, if you are only going to be surrounded by homosexuals, it's only customary that you switch schools. There are no lesbians on a cheer leading team."

Her father was in idiot if he thought that was true. Not only herself, but Santana and Brittany were both lesbians and all three of them were on the cheer leading team at McKinley.

"Dad."

"Now Louisville isn't an Ivy League school like Yale, but it can still work out for yo-"

"Dad!" Quinn finally screeched. "Shut up."

"Excuse m-"

"Shut up, Dad." Quinn still ignored him, raising her hand up to silence him. "Shut up."

She cocked one eyebrow up at him challengingly, daring him to question her, but he remained quiet... oddly enough.

"Anyway, I don't agree with you, on both the topic of switching schools and Scarlett." Quinn confirmed, shaking her head as she ran a hand up through her hair. "I'm not dropping out of Yale, regardless of what you think. And Scarlett is an amazing human being inside and out and so is her girlfriend, Carmen. And without either of them, I wouldn't be here, standing in front of you today, getting ready to announce the biggest news of my life."

"No, Quinnie..." Judy voiced, already assuming what was going to come out of her daughter's mouth.

Quinn felt sympathetic towards her mother, but nothing was stopping her now.

She had to do this.

"I've told you before I thought I might be, but now I'm fully convinced-"

"No, Lucy, no." Russell interrupted again, shaking his head and clenching his jaw tightly.

"Yes, Dad. I'm gay and I'm proud. And I came here to tell you that I'm going after Rachel Berry and I plan on dating her and..." She paused, "having awesome lesbian sex with her."

She really didn't plan to say that, but the look on her fathers face was well worth it.

"That is disgusting!" Russell hissed.

"Oh like you don't watch lesbian porn, you fucking hypocrite." Quinn retorted, rolling her eyes.

Russell's jaw dropped and his face became red as he started spurting out curses like daggers.

She didn't know if she had ever hated anyone in her life.

Sure, she had disliked people, but she could never use a strong of a word as hate on someone.

Except her father.

He was a disgrace to the family name. He raised his children terribly and taught them all the wrong things. Parents are supposed to encourage you to go after your dreams and encourage you to be yourself. He was constantly doing the exact opposite and telling Quinn not to be herself. Telling Quinn she would be pathetic if she was herself. And quite frankly, she was tired of it.

Just so damn tired.

"How dare you-"

"You are a disgrace to this family-"

"I hate you-"

"God hates you-"

While he was in the midst of this, Quinn glanced at her mother and gave her a pleading look.

"Mom," She murmured, causing Russell to halt his rant, "I really came back to tell you that and to tell you I was going to go through with it whether you guys like it or not. And I figured he would react this way, but I believe in you, Mom. I believe you are stronger than him. And I want us,_ you and me_, to be a family."

"How dare you, Lucy! I am the sole reason this family as stayed together all throughout your bullshit!" Russell bellowed, rising to his feet and pointing a single digit at her.

"Daddy-" Quinn's voice was teasing. "Christians don't cuss and you just said bullshit!"

Russell paled and he stalked over to his daughter. "You little bitch, how dare you insult me-" He raised his hand up and if Quinn had been younger and scared, she would have cowered, preparing for a slap... but not this time. Not ever again.

"If you even lay a finger on me, I'll have your ass in jail, prick!" Quinn hissed at him, daring him with her eyes to hit her.

She wanted to see his sorry ass in jail.

But much to her disappointment he halted and gritted his teeth together. He shut his eyes and exhaled loudly through his nose.

"Quinnie," Judy breathed, just above a whisper, causing Quinn to turn her head back towards her mother. "I can't..."

Quinn stuck out her bottom lip and glanced back and forth between the two people that raised her before shrugging her shoulders.

Coming into the house she expected this much, so she wasn't severely disappointed.

Now she had nothing standing in the way of getting her girl.

"Well, if that's your final decision, so be it..." Quinn breathed, glancing at her father and shooting him a glare. "I hope you know I hate you, and mom-" She turned to Judy, her body rolling with sympathy, "I don't know why you are still with him, but whenever you are ready, I'm willing for us to be a family. Please don't forget that you are so much better than him." She murmured, cocking her head in the direction of Russell.

Judy seemed to think over what Quinn had said before catching Russell's gaze and dropping her eyes to the floor.

Her mother was still weak. And Quinn knew she would be weak for a very long time, so there really was no point in her sticking around much longer.

"If you both will excuse me, I have a girl to sweep off her feet." Quinn announced, marching to the door. She paused by one of the walls filled with family photos before grabbing one of her and her mother and stuffing it under her armpit. She glanced over her shoulder at her father who took a step forward.

"If you walk out that door, Lucy Fabray, you are no longer apart of this family!" He warned, hoping to reel his daughter back in.

Quinn debated the ultimatum for a brief second, just for effect, before shrugging.

"I never was apart of this family now was I, _Dad?_" She sneered, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm warning you." He hissed.

"Russell, it'll be an honor to leave this hell house." She said with finality before shrugging her shoulders. She clutched the picture tighter before turning and marching out of the house.

* * *

><p>"God, that lady is such a bitch." Shannon groaned, clutching her books tight against her chest.<p>

The brunette's eyes followed the movements as her friends luscious breasts stuck out a bit more underneath the revealing top she was wearing. She quickly licked her lips and averted her eyes. Shannon, like many other students at NYADA, were gay, but Rachel wasn't quite ready to take that step with her friend.

She knew the girl had a minor crush on her and Rachel was flattered, she really was. She was just at a point n her life where she didn't think she could handle any type of relationship.

"Although, I don't agree to that type of language, I completely agree." Rachel replied with a nod of her head.

"Yeah," Shannon said distractedly, "where do you want to go for your birthday dinner? Nineteen is a pretty big year, Rach. I know this new place that opened down on Times Square and I can pay since you know... it's going to be your birthday and everything."

In a way Shannon reminded her of Finn... except more attractive and the female version.

Not only was her hair black as night, but she was overwhelmingly tall for a girl. She stood at six foot and towered over Rachel. She had the goofy sense of humor Finn did and the girl tended to be a bit clueless when it came to common sense. Whenever she was confused her lips would pout out to the right and her eyebrows would be itched together.

And like Finn, she had great tits.

Rachel internally giggled at the common.

That was a little bit rude.

But in another life, Shannon and Finn could have definitely been siblings.

Rachel chuckled at the black-haired girls politeness but reluctantly shook her head.

"I'm flattered, Shannon, I am. But I just want to spend my Thursday night in peace on my couch, if that's alright with you?"

"Uhm, Rachel?" Shannon murmured, her eyes frozen away from her. The girl came to a halt which caused Rachel to copy her movements. "I know I may be totally inaccurate on this statement, but that girl over there looks awfully like that girl you used to have like five pictures of up in your room-"

"Quinn..."

Rachel had already been trailing her gaze up to whatever had caught Shannon's eye and when she was met with a tall girl, with short blonde hair, her body nearly collapsed in on itself. Air evaded her and her chest quickly tightened in on itself. Her hands began to quiver. Her head began to throb. Her heart began to pound painfully. Everything hurt.

That couldn't actually be Quinn could it?

It'd been over six months since she last saw the girl.

But it sure looked like Quinn.

That same blonde hair was cropped to the edge of her neck, remarkably shorter than the last time she had seen it. Those hazel eyes were as bright as ever from so far away, and even the way the girl was standing looked exactly like Quinn. She was leaning against the brick wall, one leg propped up against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. Jeans braced those legs she used to spend countless hours staring at and a Yale sweatshirt was hanging on the girls torso.

That was definitely Quinn.

"Oh my god, I-uhm, _fuck._" Rachel immediately felt tears prick the corner of her eyes.

This couldn't be happening, not right then.

Suddenly remaining calm was totally not in her power. She brought her hands up to cup her cheeks and she attempted to wipe away at the tears on her face.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no." She chanted. "This can't be happening, I can't-_shit!_"

"Language," She heard Shannon tease from beside her, but then quickly felt one arm wrapped around her shoulders comfortingly, "hey, Rach, it's alright. You can face her. I mean-I never knew her, but the way you talk about her and the way you threw her picture away, you are over her..." Shannon paused, the wheels in her eyes turning. "You are over her, right?"

"I don't know!" Rachel wailed, turning and staring at her friend with wide eyes. "I was positive I was, but just seeing her, I'm pretty sure I just died and came back. Is this possible?" She felt a sob wrack through her body unexpectedly and she bit down on her bottom lip. "Oh my god, what's happening?" She blurted out incoherently, her sentences beginning to fumble together.

"Whoa! Rachel, breathe, breathe, honey, breathe..." Shannon cooed, running her palm up and down the brunette's bicep. "You are good. Just keep breathing. Ready? In and out, inhale, exhale. Draw your breath in, draw your breath out..." Shannon paused her breathing coaching for a beat. "What's some other synonyms for inhale and exhale?"

"Gasp, wheeze, puff, sniff..." Rachel's heart began slowing.

"Yeah!" Shannon exclaimed. "Do all that. In and out. Gasp in and gasp out... that sounds weird but whatever, keep doing it. Wheeze in, wheeze out. Puff in, puff out... well that sounds like you are doing drugs, so don't do that."

The comment caught Rachel off guard and she chuckled at the girls lame comment.

"You are dumb." Rachel breathed, running her sleeve along her cheeks to get the moisture off.

"I may be dumb, but you are lame." Shannon retorted, a wide grin crossing her face.

Rachel rolled her eyes and slowly tore her gaze up to see Quinn push off the wall and begin marching towards the girls standing in the middle of the hallway at one of the many NYADA buildlings. And with each step that the blonde took closer, Rachel realized she didn't want Quinn to see her so weak.

She quickly straightened and brought her face down to Shannon's jacket clad shoulder, running her eyes along the fabric, making the final tears that were on her face disappear. When she pulled back to look Shannon in the eyes, the blue eyed girl quirked one eyebrow up.

"She's getting so close, what if I start crying again?" Rachel gasped, her eyes widening.

"First of all, I will forever be amazed at how bipolar you are with your emotions." Shannon huffed. "And second of all, you communicate like a normal person. You talk to her and just pretend nothing is bothering you... just look at me if you need any help." Shannon breathed and stopped talking at the exact moment Quinn came to a halt in front of them.

It was eerily quiet, none of the girls wanting to make the first move.

Quinn bit down on her bottom lip.

Rachel blushed.

And Shannon flickered her gaze away from the two girls uncomfortably.

Finally, the silence was broken.

"Hi, Rach."

If Shannon hadn't been right next to her, Rachel was pretty positive she would have broke down crying. She hadn't heard that voice in months. _Months. _She had dreamed of it every night, sure. But nothing beat the way her named rolled off the blonde's tongue. She had missed Quinn's raspy voice.

"Quinn."

The blonde's lips twitched up at the corners and Rachel wanted to fling herself off a bridge.

Why, of all times, did Quinn show up now?

Shannon cleared her throat and Quinn whipped her gaze to the girl standing next to Rachel for the first time. Rachel noticed the way Quinn's face fell into a scowl before turning back to Rachel and her lips pulling up into a neutral smirk.

"Uhm, this is Shannon-" Rachel addressed her friend, awkwardly holding her hands out to the girl, "Shannon this is..."

"Quinn," Shannon said icily, her eyes narrowed challengingly, "pleasure. I've heard _so_ much about you-"

At that point Rachel stopped listening to the conversation because she wanted to die of embarrassment. She wanted to yell at her friend. Way to announce to Quinn that she was still head over heels for her!

"Hm," Quinn replied, "nice to meet you."

Shannon nodded once, releasing Quinn's grip almost as if she had been burned before glancing at Rachel.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Rach?"

"I-uhm, sure." Rachel breathed, but silently was begging for Shannon to stay.

Why would the girl leave her?

Why?

"Okay," Shannon quirked, "bye." She glanced back up at Quinn once more, her eyes silently telling the girl she would rip her ass if she hurt Rachel. "Nice meeting you."

"You too." Quinn said dismissively, already turning back to look at Rachel.

And with a turn of her heel she was gone, leaving the two girls completely alone.

Staring at Quinn, Rachel realized they would need to actually communicate at some point so she sighed and dropped her shoulders defeated.

"Quinn, what are you doing here?"

Quinn's lips quirked up into a smug uneven smile.

"Oh, you know." She shrugged. "I was just in the neighborhood, thought I'd drop by and see how you're doing."

Rachel felt her blood run cold.

Quinn actually had the fucking nerve to joke with her? This was stupid, she needed to get away from there.

"Don't do that..." Quinn's eyes fell in confusion. "Don't joke around with me."

Quinn's face fell visibly, simply because Rachel's did and she sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry Rach, I was jus-"

"Don't call me that." Rachel growled. "You have no right to call me that."

"I'm sorry." Quinn sighed, running her hand up through her hair. The blonde never realized how difficult it would be to actually be on Rachel's good side after so long.

"For what?"

"I-uhm," The blonde murmured, taken aback, "everything?"

This was going terrible.

This was not at all how the blonde planned this out.

"That sounds like a question more than an answer." Rachel frowned, shaking her head. "Look, I don't know what you are doing here. But if you came back just to emotionally abuse me, then job well done because I can assure you I will be spending the next few weeks crying over this encounter. Now if you will excuse me-" She began to shove her way by the blonde but was stopped when a hand gripped her wrist.

"Rachel, wait, I can explain-"

"Explain what?" Rachel shot back, her eyes staring down Quinn's hazel ones. "The way you humiliated me all throughout high school. The way you broke my heart. The way you didn't stand up for me, your best friend? You can't explain any of that! And I'm tired, Quinn. I've grown up and I can't do this, _this-" _She pointed between the two of them, "there never was a this and there never will be a this. So please, leave me alone."

"Rachel, please," Quinn pleaded, her face falling, and Rachel could just faintly see moisture pooling around Quinn's lower eyelid. "I'll do anything, just give me a chance."

"Why?" Rachel fired back, feeling her own set of tears falling. "You don't deserve a chance!"

"I know, I know," Quinn whispered, dropping her head, sighing.

"Whatever," Rachel sighed, "no harm done. Just leave me alone, and don't come back, okay?"

After a few seconds when the blonde didn't answer, Rachel huffed, rolling her eyes. She didn't have time for this. She had plans to Skype her fathers that evening so they could sing her their own rendition of happy birthday over the webcam.

She began to march by Quinn and was stopped once again by a hand on her wrist.

"Quinn, I'm tired of your games-"

She was yanked around and immediately pulled flush against a warm body. She had absolutely no time to react before lips were cascaded down onto hers and she sighed into the kiss.

As much as she hated to admit it... she felt whole as soon as lips Quinn's were on hers.

Quinn was kissing her!

And... sober! Not under the influence of alcohol!

Wait, Quinn was kissing her! She was mad at Quinn! What the hell?

She broke away quickly, even though Quinn just kissed her cheek, her thumbs cupping her face to wipe away the tears that were falling.

"Quinn, please don-" She begged but was cut off by a peck on the lips.

"Will you listen to me if I stop?" Quinn whispered against her lips.

"No." She replied stubbornly.

She felt a small smile against her lips before Quinn pushed their bodies together, slowly dropping her arms to loop around Rachel's waist, pulling her tighter.

It took Rachel a few seconds, but as hard as she tried to fight it, she gave in. She pushed back against the blonde forcefully, sighing at the fact that Quinn was kissing her.

Quinn's bottom lip captured her top lip and she felt Quinn's head tilt to the right to deepen the kiss, hearing the soft sound of contentment release from Quinn's lungs. It was nearly perfect. It would have been perfect if deep down Rachel knew Quinn was hers.

But she wasn't.

The tears that had been already falling hit Quinn's cheek and the blonde abruptly pulled back, her face confused for a second before she frowned. The blonde sighed, shaking her head.

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorr-" She was cut off by Rachel's pointer finger on her lips.

"You shouldn't have kissed me, but you already did it so let me get my anger out by continuing." Rachel hinted, leaning back up on her tiptoes and wrapping her fingers in short blonde locks and yanking the girls lips to her own for the third time that day. Her lips glided along Quinn's sensually and she shivered at the feeling.

It was as if every nerve was on fire in her body and she couldn't get enough.

She yanked at Quinn's blonde locks, reveling when Quinn's fingers gripped into her shirt that was bunched around her waist tighter.

The blonde was breathing hard and she could feel the breath on her face as Quinn's lips traveled over her cheeks, kissing her jaw once... then twice. Rachel needed the feeling of Quinn's lips on hers so she greedily yanked Quinn's head north and brought the lips crashing together.

It was full of passion.

Full of want.

Full of need.

She felt Quinn consume her for everything she was and she sighed, her hips falling to the girls, causing Quinn's breath to catch in her throat.

"God, Rach," Quinn breathed, pulling away, "I'm so sorry."

Rachel didn't say anything... instead her eyes were glazed over as she zeroed in on Quinn's swollen lips, red cheeks, and ruffled hair. She looked absolutely gorgeous and it quite literally took Rachel's breath away.

"I-" Quinn sighed, pausing. "One chance? I want to explain everything. I would right now, but it wouldn't be perfect-" The blonde paused and pulled back cupping Rachel's cheeks in her hands and gliding her thumb over the wet trails that her tears had left. "And, Rachel, you deserve perfect. You deserve more than perfect and I won't be able to give that to you right now. So, may I please come over later and explain in depth of just how sorry I am, for everything?"

Rachel paused, unsure of what to say or do.

The girl of her dreams was standing in front of her, swollen lips, and begging to apologize.

The movies never prepared her for this.

"Eight o'clock, my dorm room. I'll text you the details, assuming you still have the same number?" The blonde nodded and Rachel sighed.

"If you are late, don't bother trying to talk to me again."

Quinn nodded.

"I guess I will see you soon then."

Quinn's smile was gentle.

"See you soon."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N - **Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay of this chapter. It was the hardest chapter to write and the longest one. Through the course of this chapter I had no motivation to write whatsoever and I became intimate with the treacherous term known as writer's block.

Anyway, before we begin I wanted to discuss some concerns with the last chapter, I would just like to say I understand that Rachel gave in to Quinn way too easily. Trust me, I know - but a few things... First, Rachel is written off a real person, a person who forgives people way to easily. Second, has Quinn actually ever apologized to Rachel on the show, other than the Prom episode when she slapped her? Not that I can recall. On Glee, even though Quinn was _terrible _to Rachel, Rachel always seemed to forgive her without any further explanation. Now it's not necessarily a good thing that Rachel is so forgiving, but that is just how she is, and that is how I'm going to continue to write her in this story. Rachel is still desperately in love with Quinn, and as much as she would never admit it, Rachel would take Quinn back in a heartbeat... I'm sorry if I didn't make that point across in the last chapter, but I'm making you all aware of this now! Now yes, I agree, Quinn should put up a bit of a fight for Rachel and I changed some of this chapter to suit some of my reviewers needs, without changing the chapter altogether. Quinn will be forgiven easily, but she will still work for it and I hope that shows in this chapter... if not, I truly appreciate constructive criticism!

I also want to apologize that I can't make everyone happy with this story. There will be some things you guys don't agree with in this chapter, and I just wanted to apologize in advance. If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a people-pleaser and I hate when people are unsatisfied. So I really hope I did this chapter the justice it deserves and I hope you all love it.

_**On a side note **__-_ There are only two chapters to this story left, after this one! After I'm done writing I will be going back and revising some of my mistakes, so if you see it being updated, it's not actually being updated I'm just editing. After this story is finished, I may make some little one shots that take place after MLA, but I haven't completely decided yet. You will be updated when I make my decision! My new big story is in the works, but before I post it on here, I will be posting a semi-short fourteen chapter story, that I hope everyone will enjoy.

Anyway, now that I'm done with the rambling, please enjoy chapter twenty! And reviews are loved, although not necessary! :)

**Chapter Twenty: **

She was panicking.

Correction, panicking was a complete understatement to what was going on in her body.

Her hands were shaking as she paced across the living room floor, nervously running her hands along her cheeks every few seconds to make sure she was still awake. Her heart felt torn, but heavy at the same time and she didn't know what that meant exactly, but she knew it made her feel like she was going to throw up. Thankfully, she had held it in... so far. Her stomach felt like it was in her throat. Her head was throbbing because of all the thoughts screaming at her and she had no utter clue what to do.

Quinn fucking Fabray did this to her.

She had no clue why Quinn came back.

In fact, she was almost ninety-eight percent sure she had been over Quinn until the past afternoon when... when Quinn kissed her!

How does a girl of Rachel's emotional stability react to that?

Exactly! She didn't know how to react!

She felt excited, but nervous. Anxious, but scared. Depressed, but happy. It was all utterly confusing and all she was positive of is that the day had not turned out at all like she expected.

Waking up that morning, she felt as if it was going to be just another day. After yawning and stretching, she immediately jumped onto her elliptical and started on her thirty minute workout routine, all while Hairspray burst through the headphones in her ears. After working out, she hopped in the shower and began preparing for her day. Her first class was with the one and only, Carmen Tibideau, and she had been anxiously waiting for it all week. She had eagerly taken notes on how to hit the higher notes in your vocal range. By the end of that class she was slightly frustrated because she still hadn't managed to hit the F below middle C in her current song she was working on, and even the music prodigy, Brody Weston, couldn't help her. Following that class, she had Dance 101 with the Queen Bitch herself, Cassandra July. The woman despised her and Rachel could happily agree that the feeling was mutual. After an hour and a half of grueling lecturing from the woman, she was finished for the day. As she had headed out of that class, Shannon by her side, was when everything with Quinn had transpired.

And now three and a half hours later she was still freaking out as if it had just happened.

What did all of this mean? Why would Quinn come back now, of all times, and apologize? Didn't she realize that Rachel had grown up and moved on... or so she thought? Why did Quinn even want a second chance? Was this all some lame prank to get her to confess her feelings again?

Well that for sure wasn't happening... no matter what Quinn pulled tonight, she wouldn't be confessing anything. And if she did confess anything it was how much she hated Quinn for what she did to her... which wasn't a lie.

She loved and hated Quinn.

It was a very complicated feeling.

In front of people, she could easily lie and say Quinn meant nothing to her anymore. But at night, when she was alone, she pulled out the picture of Quinn she had tucked away into her bedside drawer and stared at it, tracing her fingers along Quinn's face in the photograph.

She missed Quinn everyday. Not a day went by where Rachel didn't miss Quinn. Not a moment didn't go by where Quinn wasn't at least in the back of her mind.

Everyone has that one perfect thing... and Rachel's was Quinn. Quinn was her perfect thing.

It's not like she chose Quinn either, she hadn't. She had no control over it. Even from the beginning, Quinn was the only person in her life that she couldn't hold a grudge against. Whenever Quinn had bullied her endlessly, all it took was a simple apology, and Rachel was eager to be the blonde's best friend. Whenever Quinn admitted to going to Prom with Finn, all it took was a drunken apology for Rachel to forgive her. Hell, Quinn didn't even have to apologize for dating Finn, Rachel automatically forgave her!

And it was odd because she was only like that with Quinn.

When her and Finn dated, she would get mad at the boy for days. One time he forgot that she was a vegan and nearly fed her meat and she flipped out on him, screaming at him to get out of her house. It took a week's worth of apologies from the boy for Rachel to finally forgive him.

One time her and Kurt got in an argument over who won a solo in Glee Club. When Kurt had won it over her, Rachel didn't talk to him for two weeks before they eventually gave in and became best friends again.

With Quinn all it took was a smile and Rachel was falling back into her arms.

Stupid blonde. Stupid _infuriating _blonde.

Rachel came to a halt in the middle of the living room, glancing around at the polished furniture she had spent an hour cleaning to perfection. The dorm room had never looked more spotless. She had been nervous and needed to kill time before Quinn got there so Rachel had busied herself with cleaning. But even cleaning couldn't keep her mind away from the problem at hand.

She... she was just so nervous! She didn't even know if she could do this!

Just as she was about to pick up her phone and text the blonde about cancelling, she heard three loud knocks on the front door.

It couldn't be her roommate because the girl was gone for the weekend with her 'boyfriend of the month'. And no one else came around at eight o'clock at night unless it was Brody or Shannon. But she knew the only person she had plans with was a certain blonde ex-cheerleader.

Quinn was waiting for her.

She swallowed rather loudly and she paused, ridiculously thinking the blonde might have heard her. She wiped her sweaty palms along her shorts and inhaled loudly through her nose.

She could do this. She could do this. She could do this.

No, she couldn't do this!

Before she had any time to second guess herself she brought her right hand up and gripped the metal doorknob, twisting it and wrenching the door open to reveal a grinning blonde.

_Damn._

Now she was always flustered when she saw Quinn for the first time, but this time it was entirely different. Usually when she saw Quinn her cheeks would heat up and she would get butterflies in her stomach. This time... this time she felt wetness drench her underwear.

Quinn stood, one arm propped up against the door frame. She had on smoky eyeliner that made her look incredibly sexy. Her hair was gelled back and spiked out in every different direction to give her that rugged look. Her legs were on fully display and Rachel had to bite back a moan at the creamy thighs that greeted her eyes. Her feet were laced up in black stilettos and Rachel knew she was in for a long ride to hell.

The only thing off about Quinn's appearance though was the rather large pea coat adorning her body and Rachel suddenly felt nervous. If she didn't know any better the blonde seemed as if she was hiding something underneath the coat.

She couldn't be hiding anything... could she?

Rachel quickly shook her head, trying to clear the images out of her head as she moved her eyes back up towards Quinn's face. When brown met hazel, she blushed, which only caused Quinn's smug smirk to deepen.

"Hey." Quinn finally spoke, her voice husky and oozing with sex appeal.

Rachel swallowed, licking her lips once. "H-hi." She stammered, bringing her right hand up to grip her left wrist, pinching herself to make sure that this wasn't a dream.

Nope, definitely not a dream.

Quinn was very much in front of her and very much looking as gorgeous as ever.

_Jesus_. How was this girl even real?

How did she ever manage to convince herself that she didn't love this girl? She was so in love with her that it was literally eating away at her on the inside. She felt as if Quinn was inside her chest, cocooned in her heart and making it warm and painful. It was a weird metaphor but that's what it felt like.

"May I come in?" Quinn asked, although the question seemed to be already answered. Quinn knew she was going to be coming in, whether Rachel liked it or not.

Rachel's brain drained of any inner monologue left and she swallowed, trying to get saliva back into her dry mouth. Her heart pounded against the inside of her ribs and she could have sworn Quinn's eyes dropped down towards her chest and Rachel wanted to shrink away at the scrutiny.

_Be brave!_

"Sure," Rachel thought, or spoke - she didn't exactly know if it was her voice that came out of her mouth, "why don't you take a seat on the couch and I'll bring us something to drink?" She felt a burst of pride float through her body at being able to complete a sentence in front of the blonde without stuttering and looking like a complete fool.

She watched Quinn's lips pull up further, her bright teeth flashing as she walked through the door frame into the dorm room, giving Rachel a polite smile as she walked towards the tiny living room and sat down on the loveseat. "Thank you, Rachel."

"You're welcome, Quinn." Rachel replied, slamming the front door shut behind the blonde and cursing herself silently.

Why the hell were they being so formal?

She shook her head and entered the kitchen, trying to completely forget about the blonde's presence just twenty feet away from her. She quickly pulled out two glasses, setting them down on the kitchen counter. She dug through the fridge before she found a bottle of liquor stored away in the back. She quickly unscrewed the lid and poured the liquid into the two glasses before setting it back the bottle back into the fridge. Gripping the glasses in both hands she made her way over to Quinn who was seated, examining the room.

"Is this your roommate?" The blonde murmured, her eyebrows raising at a picture of a blonde girl on the coffee table.

"Uhm, yeah," Rachel nodded, "you've seen about as much as her as I have." She admitted, handing the girl her cup.

When Quinn gripped it, she swiped her fingers along Rachel's and the brunette immediately tensed, feeling goosebumps shoot up her spine.

God, she was mental.

"Is that so?" Quinn questioned after taking a sip of the alcohol, her face pulling down into a grimace at how strong the liquor was.

After calming herself down with a few sips of her drink, Rachel nodded, sitting down beside the blonde, making sure to keep distance between the two of them. She crossed one leg over the other and when Quinn's eyes followed the movement, she wanted to sink into the couch and disappear forever.

Why did the blonde keep looking at her like that?

"Yeah, she's uh-" Rachel searched for the right word, "incorrigible. She has a different guy here every week and I've only said a few sentences to her." Quinn nodded, her eyebrows still raised. "It sucks, you know, having a roommate you can't talk to... I mean, I have Shannon - the girl from earlier and a guy named, Brody, but that's about it." She examined Quinn's reaction to the names, noticing the tightening of Quinn's jaw.

If Rachel didn't know any better, she would have thought Quinn was a bit jealous. But her thoughts were quickly reversed to sexual fantasies when Quinn's hand tightened around her cup and her forearms flexed, the muscle glistening under the low lighting in the living room.

"New York has been surprisingly... lonely." Rachel explained, suddenly wondering why she was explaining anything to Quinn in the first place. Although the blonde hadn't even asked for Rachel to elaborate, the girl seemed plenty interested in what Rachel was saying. "I only talk to Kurt twice a week and Mercedes three times a month. My dads have only been down once since I've moved out here and other than Shannon and Brody I haven't made very many friends."

Quinn's narrowed her eyes and nodded, licking her lips once.

"I'm sorry you are lonely." The blonde whispered, her voice sounding genuine, but Rachel wasn't sure if she could trust Quinn or not.

Hell, she _couldn't _trust Quinn and she knew it.

So instead, she dropped her eyes to her lap, fumbling with her fingers. "Thanks." She murmured sadly, trying her hardest not to let her emotions get the best of her. She let her eyelids fall close so she could concentrate on breathing properly and not on the blonde girl sitting less than two feet away from her.

It could have only been thirty seconds before she felt cool fingers slide over her own, gently caressing her skin.

Her eyes shot open and she stared down at Quinn's thumb which was raking over her right hand, gently urging Rachel to unfold her fingers from around the glass of alcohol she was holding. Along with her own, Quinn set down both glasses onto the coffee table and brought her hand back up to Rachel's. Without hesitation, Rachel settled her hand into Quinn's lap and watched as Quinn gently started stroking her fingers along Rachel's. The action was slow and sweet and Rachel felt her heart reeling inside her chest and she felt so overcome with emotion, that when one tear fell down onto her cheek she couldn't find it in herself to care.

She still didn't meet Quinn's eyes. She just watched as Quinn took her index finger in her hands and ran her nails along the skin before moving towards her middle finger, her ring finger, her pinky, and then finally moving down to her palm tracing her heart line and her life line gently. After a minute of just playing with her hand, Quinn moved towards Rachel's left hand and slowly repeated the actions she had done with her right. After she was thoroughly done, she felt fingers glide up her wrist, stopping and gently pulling so Rachel was scooting closer to Quinn on the tiny loveseat.

That's when Rachel finally deemed it appropriate to meet Quinn's eyes.

When she met the girl's hazel gaze, Quinn was looking at her curiously, her head tilted to the side. But when Quinn saw the few wet trails on her cheeks, Rachel felt the blonde's hand trail up to her elbow cupping it and urging her closer, closing the distance so their thighs were touching as they stared at each other.

She watched Quinn swallow, the blonde's eyes falling to her lips once.

This was bad - very bad. But she couldn't find it in herself to stop the blonde when Quinn cupped her left cheek in her hand, gently running her thumb along her cheekbone before leaning in, her eyelids falling over those hazel orbs.

And Rachel watched until she couldn't anymore. She watched Quinn's chest rise and fall as she got closer and closer. She watched Quinn's lips part slightly. She watched the wet tongue flick out and wet her lips. And then, then those lips were on hers and she couldn't think anymore.

Her mind went completely blank and she felt as if she was being kissed for the first time. She breathed out through her nose, trying to calm her heart that had suddenly started sprinting inside her chest. She wanted to reach up and fist her hands in Quinn's hair but she didn't know how. She didn't know anything about Quinn anymore and yet she was kissing her. Everything that had happened in the past few hours had escalated so quickly that Rachel didn't know how to comprehend anything anymore. She was scared to death of this girl in front of her.

After a second of just their lips faintly pressing against each others, Quinn pushed harder against Rachel's lips, trying to get a reaction from the brunette.

She could hear Quinn's ragged breathing in her ears, and she could feel the girl's hand shaking along her cheek.

In any other circumstance, Rachel would think Quinn was being absolutely adorable.

The blonde was nervous. _  
><em>

Nervous to the point where she was shaking. Rachel Berry had reduced the once former head cheerleader to a shaking mess... that sure was a huge ego boost on Rachel's part.

And finally when her bottom lip slipped between Quinn's she lost all resolve she had held onto.

She forgot everything. She forgot high school. She forgot the way Quinn broke her heart. She forgot the way Noah was a total asshole. She forgot where she was. She forgot about NYADA... hell she forgot her own name.

All she was aware of was Quinn Fabray.

She pulled away from the girl once just to catch her breath, and when she smelled that delicious Quinn smell she lost all control.

She surged forward, taking Quinn's lips between her own greedily, letting out a loud sigh of content at the feeling of those smooth lips along hers. And apparently Quinn had a similar idea because Rachel could feel the girl smiling against her lips as they kissed.

It only took about thirty seconds of just chaste kissing before Quinn darted her tongue out to taste Rachel's lips.

The brunette couldn't help the grunt that followed. Her hands finally started moving and she reached up, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck and yanking her impossibly closer. She curled her fingers into short blonde hair, reveling in the silky feeling. She scraped her nails along Quinn's scalp and the blonde pulled away, panting loudly.

"I-_Rach._" Quinn moaned, her eyes screwed shut.

And Rachel stopped.

What the fuck was she doing?

Why the hell was she ready to strip Quinn of her clothing?

Why the hell had she let it get this far?

Rachel immediately uncurled her fingers from Quinn's hair and leaped onto the other end of the couch, trying to calm down her racing heart and her blushing face.

As she breathed deeply she searched Quinn's eyes who looked dark with lust and passion. Her hair was even more crazy than it had been and her lips were bright red from kissing. She looked _hot_, but Rachel knew she couldn't afford to think like that.

"Wha-what the hell was that Quinn?" She finally managed to grunt, trying to sound angry but failing. Instead it came out like a whimper as she glared at the blonde.

Quinn frowned and leaned forward, automatically making Rachel panic.

"Don't you want this?" Quinn murmured. "Don't you want me?"

_Well yeah! _"No!" She hissed. "Not like this!"

But the blonde obviously didn't care at that point because Rachel watched frozen as Quinn's fingers came up to her coat buttons and started undoing them quickly, slowly revealing more skin as she went. And Rachel nearly started crying when she saw a black lacy bra.

She nearly started crying for three reasons.

One, she wanted Quinn so bad, and the blonde was basically throwing herself at her.

Two, Quinn was basically taking advantage of her in her depressed state.

And three, she knew she would have to put a stop to whatever the blonde was doing.

"Quinn!" She growled. "Stop!" She ordered, leaning forward and holding Quinn's cold hands in her own, giving her a stern glare.

The blonde shook her arms wildly in Rachel's grip and Rachel bit down on her bottom lip, struggling to keep the girl in place.

After a minute more of fighting, Quinn grunted, her face falling. "But why?" She whined, her hands going limp at her sides.

God this girl was going to be the death of her! She was so goddamn infuriating!

Rachel hissed out in annoyance. She dropped her hands from Quinn's and stood, running her hands through her hair. "What the hell are you even doing? You expect to just come in here and seduce me?" She questioned, raising her eyebrows up at the blonde as she motioned to the blonde's halfway open coat.

"And what the hell was that earlier?_ 'I'm sorry you are lonely.'_" Rachel mocked, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "You think you can just come in here and pretend nothing is wrong, that nothing happened between us? I thought you came back for a second chance? I want answers, not this shit that you are giving me!"

She watched Quinn's face fall even more.

"God, what the fuck Quinn?" She screamed, beginning her long ramble she had planned out for this exact moment. This moment when she would finally be able to tell Quinn everything. "This is selfish of you! I-I can't believe you actually! You know, when you love someone you look past all their flaws, and they are perfect in your eyes, even though they are not perfect." Rachel explained, slamming her hand down onto the armrest of the couch, causing Quinn to jump and scoot further away from Rachel.

"You were always perfect to me, but now after this little stunt - I realize you are far from it! I accepted you for all your flaws. You are not perfect, Quinn. I am not perfect. Finn is not perfect. Kurt is not perfect. Nobody is goddamn perfect! But I looked past that with you, and now-and now you are just being fucking selfish!" She hissed.

Out of complete anger she swiped her hand down causing the glass she had been drinking to fall off the coffee table and shatter against the wooden floor. The loud crash caused Quinn to jump for a second time and Rachel was pretty sure if she looked closely enough, that Quinn had tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.

"You come back here after all this time, after I'm just finally starting to get better and you tell me you want a second chance? Why do you deserve that Quinn?" She questioned rhetorically. "Huh, why? Is this some sort of game to you? Because it's not to me! I'm a fucking person, s-so explain what you are doing here now, or get the hell out of my apartment!"

Rachel panted for air as she finally stopped her rant.

Quinn stood frozen on the loveseat like a statue.

It was quiet for a long time.

She's not sure for how long exactly, but it was long enough for Quinn to sigh and button up her coat. It was long enough for Quinn to stand up and run her fingers through her hair. It was long enough for the blonde to stuff her hands in her pockets. It was long enough for the blonde to shed a few tears and sniffle a few times.

"I'm sorry for not being good with feelings." Quinn finally murmured, not even looking at Rachel. Instead, she moved over to the window that faced down onto the streets of Bushwick, and stared out at the lights and the people who were walking along the sidewalk. "I've never been exactly good at them," she admitted, a hand combing through her hair, "and with you, I'm just even worse with them."

"I-wh-" She started but stopped mid-sentence when Quinn held up her hand.

"No," She said firmly, "you got your chance to talk so now it's my turn. I'd really appreciate it if you would just sit down and listen for a while. I asked for a second chance and you are being gracious enough to give it to me, Rachel... even after that dumb ass stunt I just pulled. Now I'm going to do it the proper way, instead of seducing you."

Rachel bit down on her bottom lip, a question bubbling at her lips as she moved to sit down, her hands moving underneath the back of her thighs.

"You get one question," Quinn sighed as she came to a stop in front of the coffee table, her eyes dark, "what is it?"

The brunette ignored the way her lips twitched up at the corners and instead straightened. "Why were you trying to seduce me?"

Quinn let out a dry chuckle and she rolled her eyes. "It was a last resort thing. I was panicking on the way here."

The irony of the situation was almost to great for Rachel so she nodded once, silently thanking Quinn for allowing her to ask her one question.

"Anyway," Quinn frowned, "from the beginning, I guess?" It was almost like a question but the blonde shook her head once. "Well for starters let me say, I'm sorry. I'll dig more in-depth about that later in my story, but I'm sorry... just throwing that out there."

The blonde paused waiting as Rachel slowly nodded.

"And second, thanks for giving me the chance to explain. You've been nothing but kind ever since I came storming back into your life, and I am thankful. I'm now ready to go about apologizing in the right way, rather than the wrong way... so, here goes nothing."

Rachel watched as the blonde, glanced down at the floor then back up at the ceiling, her eyes appearing to want to say something but not knowing how.

"I've always liked you, Rachel."

Well damn, this was going to be harder than she thought. She already had a stupid question!

"Well not always, but since around your birthday of senior year. It came at me out of nowhere and I wasn't expecting it... it just happened, me liking you." Quinn shrugged.

"Being the type of person I am, and being raised the way I was, I pushed away those feelings. Now my family's religion and my gay panic is not an excuse, but I'm just throwing that out there. That's why I said some of the things I said, and did some of the things I did."

"So out of sheer stupidity on my part," she grinned, "I resorted to talking to Finn. I can assure you right now, I had no interest in him whatsoever... he was just a distraction. A very good distraction away from you. The first time I told you I was going to the dance with him, and the way your face fell... I knew you liked me back. It was just obvious. After that, I pushed my feelings down even more."

"Knowing that I like you is one thing. But knowing that I like you and that you liked me back was a whole different story. That meant if I wasn't such a coward I would actually have a shot with you." Quinn elaborated, pursing her lips to the side.

Rachel nodded mutely, flickering her eyes up from Quinn's body to the blonde's eyes.

"So yeah, anyway, back on track here-" Rachel zoned out for a second, purely because the blonde looked so cute the way she was rambling over her sentence.

"-We started hanging out even more... and my feelings just deepened. And when I found out you were going out with Puck, I was so jealous. I only dreamed I was him in that moment because he got to go out with you the proper way. Like on a date, and I've only ever dreamed of going out with you on a date."

"And then when you admitted to me that you were gay," Quinn swallowed, "I was just in a state of shock. You were so brave, ten times more than I ever was. And the way you took all that shit from everybody? I just could never be as strong as you, even if I wanted to be. You are ten times the person I am ever going to be, Rachel, and that scared me. I mean, in high school, I was a pretty big deal. I was the head cheerleader, I dated the quarterback of the football team and the star wide receiver. I was a shoo-in for Prom Queen... but I couldn't even be real to myself like you were."

Rachel wanted to point out the fact that Quinn was ten times prettier than her but she managed to keep her lips sealed.

"And then I admitted my feelings to my parents and my dad, he-uhm," the blonde sniffled, "he grabbed my arm really tight-remember that bruise?" Quinn murmured.

"What the f-"

"Rachel," Quinn's voice was warning and Rachel bristled.

"That fucking ass-"

"Rachel, stop," Quinn groaned, dropping down to sit on the couch beside the brunette. "It's over and done with, I told him off before I came here to find you."

Rachel felt her hands beginning to shake and even the feeling of Quinn's cold fingers over her own couldn't calm her down.

"Rachel," Quinn breathed in that whimpered voice that made Rachel weak at the knees, "look at me."

Reluctantly, Rachel brought her eyes north and met Quinn's soft, adoring gaze.

"I'm sorry for abandoning you. I'm sorry for being a shitty friend. I'm sorry for being a coward. I'm sorry for standing by when you got bullied. I'm sorry for making you go through so much pain. I'm sorry for lying to you, I'm sorry for everything. Y-you were either the worst or the best thing for me..." Quinn's bottom lip was beginning to tremble, "and you ended up being both."

Rachel felt her broken heart stitching up in her chest and she narrowed her eyes at the blonde, noticing the tears falling.

"But I don't care because-because, I love you Rachel. I have since the start." Quinn sighed. "I want you everyday, and I love you everyday. Not a moment goes by where I haven't loved you and I'm sorry I haven't-I'm just fucking sorry for everything-" At that point Quinn cut herself off because, a sob wracked through her body and a choked sound released from her mouth, causing Rachel to flinch.

"I'm fff-sorry!"

Rachel tensed, not knowing what she should do.

"P-p-pl-please don't l-l-lea-leave me..." Quinn's voice was barely recognizable.

This wasn't just crying. This was the crying that people did when they had nothing left. This was the crying you did when you life was over. This was sobbing.

Rachel slowly moved her hand to Quinn's hair and stroked her fingers through it.

"I won't." She replied.

"Promise?"

"I-I promise," Rachel breathed.

"H-ho-hold me?" Quinn choked out.

When Rachel made no movement to hold her, Quinn glanced up and Rachel's heart constricted at the sight. Her nose and cheeks are bright red and her eyes are bloodshot. It's in that moment that Rachel realizes she can actually see Quinn. She can see that girl she fell in love with in the first place. The girl who actually allows herself to be vulnerable. The girl that-that loves her?

"Quinn," She murmured, "you abandoned me once because I loved you. If I hold you, I'm just going to love you all over again."

"Hold me?" Quinn grunts, flicking her tongue out to catch a stray tear that's on her lip.

Rachel tried to hold onto whatever amount of self-control she had left... even though she knew there wasn't much.

"If I hold you, you better be prepared... I'm never letting go of you."

_Thump, thump, thump._

Her heart was pounding. Her eyes were watery. Everything was intensified.

"I don't want you too."

Quinn's voice was soft and tiny and Rachel pulled the girl forward, crashing their bodies together as she immediately started breathing into the blonde's neck.

"I'm going to be irrational." She choked out, letting the tears fall freely as she gripped onto Quinn as if that was the only thing keeping her alive.

"I'm going to be moody." Quinn chortled back, sniffling into the brunette's hair.

"You'll hate me some days." She whispered insecurely.

"I'll love you other days." Quinn's voice was reassuring.

"I sing in the shower, loudly." Rachel practically crawled her way up onto Quinn's lap, and it was no longer Rachel holding Quinn, but Quinn holding Rachel.

"I dance when I clean." Quinn chuckled.

"I'm allergic to cats." She pulled back and stared into hazel eyes that were still bloodshot from all the tears.

"We'll get a dog." Quinn reassured and Rachel opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a single digit against her lips.

"Rachel?"

She cocked two eyebrows up and stared at the blonde.

"Just be quiet and kiss me."

She didn't have any complaints after that.

* * *

><p>An alarm shrieked at nine in the morning and Rachel grunted, rolling over and smacking the snooze button. As the noise stopped, she sighed happily, rolling back over and burying her nose back into her pillow. She brought her arm up and searched for the warm heat of Quinn's body, and when she came up with nothing she froze, her eyes flicking open to find an empty bed.<p>

She bolted upright, her heart filling with fear as she searched her room, the thoughts of the previous night invading her mind.

She remembered a few more soft, chaste kisses. She remembered more tears... a lot more tears. She remembered cuddling. And she remembered Quinn pulling her up in her arms and carrying her to her room, whispering _'I love you'_ in that husky voice.

But now where was the blonde?

As she swung her legs out from underneath her, she heard something crinkle and she tensed, glancing over her shoulder to see a crumpled up piece of paper on the sheets.

Her fingers shook as she gripped it, expecting the worse.

_Good morning, beautiful! I'm sorry to leave you alone on your birthday morning, but I had a lot of planning to do. Please be ready, dressed casually at two o'clock to go out. Don't make any plans for tonight because you will be out all day. I love you and I will see you later._

_- Quinn._

_P.S - A small snippet of your birthday present is in the living room._

Rachel read over the note three more times before sniffling.

How had she managed to fall so fast once again, in such a short amount of time?

She quickly shook her head and jumped out of bed, making a beeline for the living room and coming to a halt when she saw a bouquet of roses sitting on the coffee table.

She sighed happily and walked over to the flowers, leaning down and inhaling the delicious scent. Sitting beside the flowers was a CD that had _Play Me _written on the front. She quickly gripped the disc in her hands and made her way over to the stereo, setting the case softly on the top of the stereo and the CD in the CD player and pressing play.

After a few beats of silence, a voice filled the air, one that could only be described as angelic.

_"Hey Rachel, don't ask me how I managed to have time to make this because, to be perfectly honest, love, I don't know how I did it. Anyway, here's another mix CD for you, I hope you like it." _Quinn's voice came drifted away from the speakers and Bon Iver's voice replaced the blonde's.

As she turned up the volume louder, she quickly headed towards her bedroom, preparing for her date later that day.

* * *

><p>It was nearly five minutes until two o'clock and Rachel still had nothing to wear.<p>

Quinn's idea of casual meant something entirely different to Rachel and her casual.

Quinn was all for the girly dresses and flowing skirts. Rachel was all for a pair of jeans and sweatshirt when she was stuck with casual.

Biting on her bottom lip, she quickly grabbed a pair of jean shorts out of her closet and threw them on, along with a long sleeve white shirt and a leather jacket over it. She pulled her hair out of the clips that was holding it up, and examined herself in the mirror. She brought her hands up to fluff out her hair just a bit more. Thankfully, she had already done her hair beforehand, and all she needed to do was put on a tiny hint of makeup before she was ready to go.

She put on a bit of blush, figuring she wouldn't need much considering her face was as bright as a tomato whenever she was around Quinn. She applied a bit of mascara to her eyelashes. And finally smeared her lips with gloss, happy with her final product. She didn't look totally casual, but she didn't look like she was trying to hard either.

Perfect.

Just as she was reaching for her boots, the door was being pounded on and she gulped.

She quickly placed her left shoe on, slamming her heel down into the warmth before reaching for the right shoe. Just as she was fumbling with it to put it on, the door was knocked on again and she grunted. "Just a second!" She yelped, before hopping over to the door. She pulled open the door just as she slipped her foot into the shoe and she immediately straightened, focusing her eyes on the blonde in front of her.

Quinn stood, her lips pulled up into a shining smile that made Rachel swoon on the spot purely because the smile was directed at her. Unlike the night before, where her hair had been gelled back, it hung in a few loose curls around her shoulders. She had on a burgundy dress that came to an end right at her knees and she had on brown boots that nearly resembled Rachel's.

"Nice shoes." Quinn said softly, cocking one eyebrow up.

Rachel flickered her gaze between the shoes and grinned, allowing a red tint to settle over her cheeks.

"You have a nice taste." She retorted softly, taking a step closer to the blonde.

Quinn tilted her head to the side and gave her a lopsided grin. "As do you, gorgeous. I'm glad to see you've shifted from argyle." The blonde teased, bringing one hand up to softly cup Rachel's cheek.

The gesture melted Rachel's heart and she immediately shifted, leaning into the cool palm.

"I still have them stuffed in my closet if you want me to go change." Rachel warned, biting down on her bottom lip.

Quinn didn't even react. "You'll look beautiful in whatever you chose to wear, Rach. So if you want to change, you can."

The statement made her fall harder, if possible.

Without warning she stepped forward into Quinn's arms, leaning up on her tiptoes and bringing her lips to fall on - _nothing._

"Quinn!" She hissed, stumbling into strong arms.

The blonde chuckled from above her and she felt soft lips brush against her forehead and she grunted.

"Kiss me!" She ordered, stomping her foot on the ground, which only caused Quinn's chuckling to turn into laughter.

"It's my birthday!" She warned again, reaching for Quinn's hands that were holding her sides, interlacing their fingers.

"I know, I know," Quinn grinned, "but I want to do this right and we can kiss at the end of the night. This is our first official date, after all."

"B-but-" Rachel started.

"No buts, Rach. We are doing this my way." Quinn grinned. "So grab whatever else you need and I'll wait here for you."

Against her will, Rachel sighed, turning on her heel and began to make her way back into the apartment when a hand coiled around her wrist and yanked her backwards. Her back collided into Quinn's front and she felt warm breath on her neck, which caused her to whimper. She felt teeth nip at her earlobe and hands grip her bare thighs.

"By the way," Quinn husked, "you look really good in this outfit."

Rachel couldn't contain the moan that was released from her mouth when she felt teeth scrap along her neck and hips slam into her from behind.

But in a quick movement she was released to slump against the door frame and Quinn's retreating figure.

"I'll meet you by the elevator, baby!" Quinn shouted over her shoulder.

"Tease!"

* * *

><p>"Quinn, not that I'm complaining-" Rachel swallowed loudly, glancing in the front seat of the cab they were in at the driver who was nodding his head softly to the sound of the music that was wafting through the radio. "But could you please quit stroking my thigh?" She lowered her voice, tilting her head so it was laying on the blonde's shoulder. "It's quite distracting."<p>

She heard a soft chuckle release from the blonde above her and she glanced up at the girl who was smirking, her eyes focused on the blurring buildings they passed.

"Sorry," Quinn muttered, although she didn't sound sorry whatsoever.

But as Rachel requested, the blonde stopped stroking the tan skin and instead, dropped her hand to Rachel's and interlaced their fingers.

"And I'd also like to take this time to thank you for not blindfolding me, like I've done to you in the past. Unlike you... I really am not one for-"

"Surprises." Quinn interrupted, shifting slightly so she could glance down at the girl. "Yes, Rachel, I know. You don't like surprises. But you are beginning to ramble and you are blushing, which means you're nervous for our date."

The brunette swallowed thickly, annoyed that she was such an open book.

"Look, calm down, okay?" Quinn pleaded, her eyes suddenly growing soft. "It's just me, I'm just Quinn."

Rachel bit her tongue because the blonde was completely oblivious.

She was _just Quinn._

Exactly.

"And you are just Rachel. And together we are just Quinn and Rachel. So please, don't be nervous, and just enjoy this fan-fucking-tastic evening I have planned for you, okay?" Quinn breathed, squeezing Rachel's fingers once.

The brunette licked her bottom lip slowly, noticing the way Quinn's eyes fell down to the movement.

"I suppose I could do that." She whispered, shrugging her shoulders once and blushing when the blonde broke out into a wide grin.

"Good-" The blonde was cut off by the cab coming to a halt and the cab driver, who was an old Indian man, turned around and grinned. "Fifth Avenue," he said in a thickly-accented voice.

Quinn mumbled out her appreciation and threw a wad of cash over the seats, into the guys hand. She got out of the car and held out one hand for Rachel to grab onto and when the brunette did, Quinn's smile broke across her face and she pulled the girl into her arms, kicking the door shut with the toe of her foot, all the while not even taking a glance away from Rachel's eyes.

"Thank you for coming out with me today," Quinn whispered, her eyes flickering back and forth between Rachel's, "I'm forever grateful. And I promise to make it the best birthday ever for you."

When Quinn ran the edges of her fingertips along Rachel's cheek, Rachel couldn't help but shivering. She immediately dug her fingers into the waist of the blonde's dress and pulled the girl closer. Quinn's forehead fell onto hers and the blonde leaned in placing a chaste kiss to Rachel's cheek that left Rachel's heart spurting wings and flying around in her chest.

"Come on, we can't fall behind schedule." Quinn announced, threading her fingers through Rachel's and dragging the brunette along.

They walked down the cement pathway towards the giant gate that had the letters_ 'CENTRAL PARK'_ embroidered on the wrought-iron fence. In the distance, Rachel could hear the sounds of kids playing and she glanced towards her right, grinning when she spotted the noise. A bunch of kids were jumping around in the nearby playground, their parents watching with wide eyes from a distance. Birds chirped and butterflies flew around, making the scenery peaceful and relaxing.

Quinn dropped Rachel's hand and brought her arm up and around the brunette's shoulder, grinning when Rachel relaxed into her side.

"Not that I'm complaining-" Quinn nearly groaned because this was about the third time the brunette had said this in a span of twenty minutes, "but isn't a date in Central Park kind of original? I pegged you for the kind of girl that would do something unique."

"Hey!" Quinn barked, playfully smacking the girls collarbone. "I take offense to that."

Rachel felt guilty for about three seconds before she looked up to spot the glint of amusement in the blonde's hazel eyes.

"Anyway, I know it's original, but this is the perfect way to start off a fantastic date. A lunch in the park by one of my favorite statues sounds pretty romantic to me." The blonde cocked her head in the direction of the approaching Alice in Wonderland statue that was shining against the bright rays of the down pouring sun.

"You like Alice in Wonderland?" Rachel spoke aloud, her eyes tracing over the features of the statue.

Obviously she had seen the statue before. It was in numerous amounts of movies and she had seen pictures of it when she used to research New York when she was little. But the pictures didn't do the actual statue justice. In the shining light of the sun, the statue was a brilliant bronze, making the distinct facial expressions on the characters pop out even more. The statue was tall, probably around twelve feet, from Rachel's point of view. Alice's lips were pulled up into a tiny grin as she stared down at the kitten in her lap, and Rachel vaguely remembered the Disney movie, and how there was a kitten in the beginning of the movie. What she assumed was the Cheshire Cat was perched up on what appeared to be a tiny tree stump, staring down at Alice. Beside the large mushroom Alice sat on was the Mad Hatter, his eyebrows raised as he stared down at the little mouse that always popped out of the teacup at the dinner party. And finally, next to a bunch of mushrooms stood The Rabbit who was always late and Rachel grinned when the catch phrase, _"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" _rang beside her ears.

Rachel tore her gaze away from the bronze statue to meet Quinn's eyes which was filled with adoration. Quinn's lips were pulled up into a gentle smile as she fixated her gaze across Rachel's face.

"Sorry," Rachel apologized, "I've only seen it in pictures, so I guess I got distracted. Did you answer my question?"

Quinn only tore her gaze away for a second to glance at the statue in front of them before glancing back down at Rachel. "I like seeing you study something, it's cute." Quinn admitted with a helpless shrug. "And to answer your question, yes, I like Alice in Wonderland very much. It's not my favorite Lewis Carroll piece, I prefer the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, but it's still in my top three favorite books of all time. My mom used to read Frannie and I the story when we were younger." Quinn explained glancing back at the statue for a few beats. It was like her whole childhood coming to life in front of her eye. "Today was the first time I ever saw the statue in person."

Rachel bit down on her bottom lip and grinned. "I didn't know you liked older pieces." Rachel didn't even know Quinn liked to read.

Quinn's face fell for a short period of time before she sighed. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Rachel. But if you will let me, I want you to know everything about me."

"I'd like that." Rachel whispered softly. "I'd like that a lot, Quinn."

Rachel held Quinn's gaze strongly as she reached up on her tiptoes and brought her lips to-

When the blonde swiftly turned her head left, Rachel's lips landed on the blonde's right cheek.

"Why won't you let me kiss you?" Rachel huffed exasperated as she fell back flatfooted.

Quinn's grin mirrored one of a child and she shrugged. "I don't want to kiss you until the end of the night, I already told you that. Now quit being dramatic, and let's have brunch."

"Stupid rule." Rachel grunted, dropping her head.

But her moment of frustration quickly evaporated when the blonde tugged at her wrist pulling her over to the grass in a secluded area where a blanket was set down on the green blades. Sitting on top of the checkered colored blanket was a tan picnic basket and Rachel suddenly felt her stomach rumble, unaware of how hungry she had been.

Quinn led her over to the blanket and helped Rachel sit down before she sat beside her, crossing her legs out in front of her.

"Hungry?" She mewed, reaching for the picnic basket.

"Starving." Rachel admitted.

The blonde grinned and ducked her head pulling out two fruit salads and some juice passing them to the girl beside her. Once, they had gotten out all the utensils they needed, Quinn settled on her stomach, her legs automatically kicking up into the air. She dug her fork into the salad and chewed quietly, all the while staring at Rachel who was watching the kids nearby play on the Alice in Wonderland statue.

"Want to play a game?" Quinn murmured after a few more minutes of silence.

"Sure," Rachel breathed, finally stopping her ogling of the kids and glancing at Quinn, "what do you suggest?"

Quinn cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders. "Well since it's..." She paused, licking her lips and feeling her heart wrench a tiny bit. "It's been a while, maybe we should try and get to know each other again. I mean, I don't know about you, but I've changed a lot in the past year."

Rachel's teeth immediately sank into her lower lip and the girls face immediately fell. Quinn supposed Rachel was doing the same exact thing as she was... thinking of the bad times.

"I don't see anything wrong with that idea." Rachel agreed quietly, popping open the lid to her container filled with salad. "You ask me something first?"

Quinn nodded and glanced around the park for some sort of inspiration of what to ask Rachel. When her eyes fell on the statue they had studied minutes earlier she grinned and turned back to the brunette. "What was your favorite childhood story?"

Rachel seemed to consider the question for a brief period of time before shrugging. "I really liked Edgar Allen Poe as a kid so most likely something from him."

Quinn quirked one eyebrow up at the answer, somewhat surprised at the brunette's answer.

"What is your favorite song at the moment?"

The blonde frowned, considering not giving an answer. Rachel really expected her to pick one song? That was nearly impossible for her.

"This by Ed Sheeran." Quinn finally answered after a minute of deliberation. "His voice is really good and I just like the song."

"Well then, I shall look it up." Rachel said with a grin.

"What is your favorite movie?" Quinn perked, although she knew the last time Rachel had answered the question it had been eighties movies.

"I still really adore John Hughes, but I recently watched this movie called Keith with my friend, Shannon, and it was really good. The acting wasn't up to par but other than that the storyline was really good. It's all about this boy who has cancer and he befriends this really popular girl, and he turns her whole world upside down... and it's just really, really good." Rachel sighed dreamily, her eyes elsewhere.

"Way to elaborate, Rachel." Quinn teased, poking the brunette's side, reveling in the melodic giggle that released from the shorter girls lips.

"Hey!" Rachel huffed, moving back in beside the blonde. "Favorite band?"

"Music related questions today, huh?" Quinn grunted, running a hand through her hair. "Since hitting college - my roommate, Scarlett, and her girlfriend really like Imagine Dragons and Of Monsters and Men, so I've gotten into those two artists. So it would probably be a tie between them."

"Your roommate is gay?" Rachel asked, obviously intrigued.

"Oh yeah," Quinn nodded, "she's amazing. Carmen, her girlfriend, and her were the ones that encouraged me to come back. They are kind of like a kick ass version of Santana and Brittany except they are more emotional than both of them combined. Carmen is timid and a little bit shy, but on the inside she is a little firecracker. Scar is headstrong but passionate, and she doesn't make excuses for who she is and I really admire her, and yeah... I'm rambling now, sorry."

"No, no!" Rachel's voice rose. "I love hearing you so passionate about people, it's interesting!"

"Oh," Quinn blurted, running her hand up to stroke the back of her neck in a rare moment of insecurity, "well they are really cool people."

"They sound like it." Rachel agreed, bringing one hand down to give Quinn's hand a gentle squeeze. "May I meet them sometime?"

Quinn gaped for just a second before smiling. "You-you would want to?"

"Of course, Quinn. I want to know all about the things that make you happy in life, including your friends." Rachel answered honestly, her eyes bright and genuine.

"Well then, yeah you can." Quinn replied, "I'm sure they would love to meet you too... So anyway, what's your favorite holiday?"

"Fourth of July." Rachel responded, stuffing her face with the last bite of fruit salad. "I love fireworks. They are majestic and beautiful when they blow up in the dark sky. They're very pretty."

Quinn nodded, letting her face break out into a soft grin. "I completely agree."

Rachel grinned and was opening her mouth to ask a question when she was cut off by Quinn interrupting. "How is school going?"

The brunette blanked for a beat before nodding. "It's good, I like it a lot."

Quinn snorted, rolling her eyes. "Oh please, Berry. Give me the real deal, I don't want the fake answer."

"I-I-that is a real answer!" She insisted stubbornly.

"No it's not." Quinn insisted back, equally as stubborn. "Come on, please talk to me. I wanna know everything about you now."

"Quinn," Rachel grunted, letting out a huff, "it's a lot more complicated than you think. I don't want to throw my problems on you."

"I want you to throw them on me." Quinn relented, shifting closer on the blanket and reaching for Rachel's hands gently. "Look, I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. It would be an extraordinary honor if you just talked to me. I want to help resolve every little bad thing in your life right now. Please let me do that for you?"

Rachel, still completely shell-shocked, nodded once before slipping her hands away from Quinn's.

"I love NYADA. It's a really great school, it is. I'm learning a lot and the teachers are very good... well most of them." Rachel said with a shrug. "But it's been really tough on me the past few months. Coming into New York I thought I was one of a kind, I thought there was only one Rachel Berry out there, but when I got into my first class that first day, I realized there was about twelve Rachel Berry's sitting there. They may not look like me and they may not act like me, but they are just as talented as me." Rachel frowned, shaking her head. "I came in thinking New York was going to be a breeze and it's not. I have to fight everyday just to be noticed by my mentors, and I haven't adjusted to that yet. The only time I ever fought for something in high school was Maria and _Defying Gravity_ from Kurt."

"And then you have the Queen Bitch of it all, Mrs. July. She teaches Dance 101, and she's very good at what she does, don't get me wrong, she's just..." Rachel paused, seemingly trying to think of a proper word for the blonde teacher. "Very headstrong. She really likes to dig underneath your skin and get you to tick. But from the upperclassmen I hear she's a great teacher and friend when you are trying to succeed on Broadway. So I've pushed down all her mean David Schwimmer insults, and just trying to focus on being the best I can be."

"A lot of these kids are stubborn too like me. They are very dedicated to their schoolwork so there isn't much time for friends. The only real friends I have made were Shannon, who you met earlier. Except the only problem with her is that she's gay and totally head over heels for me, clearly though my feelings aren't returned." Rachel said shyly, giving Quinn a wink before continuing. "And Brody, who I'll introduce you to later, who also had an interest in me for a little while. But unlike Shannon, we had a month or two fling that just broke off because I couldn't deal being with someone who wasn't you. I couldn't commit to him the way he needed to be committed too. Thankfully, we are still friends though."

Quinn nearly bristled at the thought of her girl touching someone else, a boy no less, but she held it inside of her and frowned sadly.

"Rachel," Quinn swallowed, "I know you probably get this from everyone you confide to about this, but I'm here to tell you... to tell you that you are one of a kind. There is only one Rachel Berry. There is only one Rachel Berry who is going to be a huge star someday. There's only one Rachel Berry who has a voice like yours. You are the only girl in this world that can literally move me to tears by how talented you are. There is _no one_ else like you. You are one of a kind. But I can't make you see that..." Quinn admitted, bringing the back of her hand up to run across Rachel's cheek. "You are going to have to believe you are one of a kind, and I can't do that for you."

"I know," Rachel murmured slowly, her half-shut in a daze as she stared at the girl in front of her, wondering how she had gotten so lucky. When she felt another cool hand swipe across her cheek she reached up and gripped Quinn's wrist, turning her face to kiss the blonde's palm, watching Quinn's reaction.

Quinn's face fell into a small smile and her eyes twinkled.

"Can I ask you something?" She said in a low voice and Rachel could almost hear the fear in it.

"Anything."

"How-" The blonde paused, anger spreading across her features. "How many people have you been with since I last saw you?"

Rachel's eyes widened at the blunt statement and she swallowed loudly. "I'm still a virgin." She supposed she should start off with that statement, and when Quinn visibly relaxed she nearly fist bumped. "But Brody and I... well," She paused scratching her head. "He touched me above the waist a few times while we were going out, and we made out a lot." She examined Quinn, whose jaw tightened and she could see the muscles working as she flexed her forearms. "And then one night I went out to a party with Shannon and I got really drunk and made out with a random girl."

"That's it?" Quinn whispered.

"That's it." Rachel confirmed. "I've been-it's dumb I know-but I've saved myself for you."

"It's not dumb!" Quinn immediately quipped then paused. "I'm flattered, actually."

"I'm glad," Rachel whispered, leaning further into the blonde, "may I ask the same question? Have you been with anyone else?"

Quinn immediately stiffened and Rachel almost didn't want to hear what the blonde was going to say. "I kissed a girl at a party a few months back, a few weeks after I got into Yale. But that was it, just a kiss. And the whole time I kept thinking it was wrong because it wasn't _you._ And that night I realized I couldn't be with anyone that wasn't you. You've had my heart in your hands completely since you sang me your rendition of _The Way I Am_ in the middle of the football field nearly nine months ago."

Rachel grinned and tightened her hold on Quinn's hands, she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a finger pressed against her lips.

"And now I'm here to repay you. Miss Berry, I introduce you with part two of your birthday present."

Rachel grinned as Quinn stood up and ran her palms along her outer thighs, giving Rachel a nervous grin. She coughed once, then twice into her fist before swaying back on her heels.

_"So there goes my life, passing by with every exit sign." _Rachel watched in a state of awe as the girl smiled nervously, biting her lip. _"It's been so long, sometimes I wonder how I will stay strong." _Quinn nervously crossed her arms in front of her and clasped her fingers tightly, all the while giving Rachel such an in depth stare, it made her heart escalate in her chest.

_"No sleep tonight, I'll keep on driving these dark highway lines. And as the moon fades, one more night gone, only twenty more days..." _The blonde paused for a beat, noticeably taking a deep breath before getting down on her knees in front of Rachel and cupping her cheeks in her hands.

_"But I will see you again, I will see you again a lonnnnnnn-ggggg time... from now."_

Rachel felt tears framing the corners of her eyelids as Quinn swiped her thumb along her cheekbone, a small grin flashing across the blonde's face.

_"And there goes my life, passing by with every departing flight." _The blonde dropped her hands away and motioned to the sky, her hand making in an invisible line in the sky, as if there was a plane flying across the sky. It made Rachel giggle._ "And its been so hard, so much time so far apart..."_

Quinn cocked back up onto her knees and stood straight, smoothing down her dress on the sides.

_"And she walks the night, how many hearts will die tonight?"_

They were having an intense stare down as Quinn continued to sing, her eyes falling even more as she continued on, lyric after lyric._ "And will things have changed? I guess I'll find out in seventeen days..." _

Quinn's fingers drummed along her sides until she was holding her hand out in front of her stomach and the other hand was clutching some invisible force in front of her.

_"But I will see you again, I will see you again a lonnnnnnn-gggggg time... from now." _The way Quinn's alto managed to hit that low soprano note caused Rachel to shiver as she watched intently.

_"My body aches, and it hurts to sing, and no one is moving..." _The blonde's hazel eyes came into appearance again and Rachel could see the tiny hint of tears framing her eyelids._ "And I wish that I weren't here tonight, but this is my life..."_

_"And I will see you again, I will see you again a lonnnnnnn-ggggg time... from now." _Quinn, once again, dropped down onto her knees in front of her and cupped Rachel's cheeks, tilting her head to the side to look at the brunette's face even more._ "And I will see you again, I will see you again a lonnnnnnn-gggg time... from now..." _

As the final note rang out, Rachel brought her hands up and curled them around Quinn's neck, her fingers settling in the short blonde locks.

"Why did you cut her hair?" She asked absentmindedly reveling in the silky feeling sliding between her fingers.

Quinn shrugged, her eyes still flickering across Rachel's facial features. "I don't know... it was time for a change, and I liked it a lot better than my longer hair."

Rachel nodded understandingly. "Thank you for the song."

"No," Quinn breathed, "thank you."

* * *

><p>"Quinn... I don't know if I can do this." She squealed, clutching the bleacher seat for support as she stood, her ankles shaking.<p>

"Oh c'mon, Rach." Quinn teased, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl's waist and smiling mischievously. "Remember the time we went roller skating? It's just like that, except on ice. And if my memory serves me correctly, you were a great roller skater."

"Yeah!" Rachel huffed, teetering at the sharp blades that were on her feet. "That was completely different! Those were wheels, these are-are, blades! I'm going to die! I'm going to fall and end up cutting myself with my shoe."

"It's not a shoe, it's a skate." Quinn chortled, and Rachel gasped, bringing her hand up to smack the blonde's shoulder, but the girl was gone within a beat and Rachel felt herself lose balance and before she knew it, the ground was at eye level, and she shut her eyes preparing for the smack of ice against her face.

But it never came.

Instead, she felt warm arms surround her and lift her up. When she finally opened her eyes she was met with guarded but playful hazel orbs and she groaned.

"Please don't make fun of me." She begged, bringing her hand up to swipe along her forehead.

"I'm not, I'm not." Quinn reassured, gripping Rachel's hand in her own and lacing their fingers together. "C'mon, let's get on the actual rink." When Rachel's eyes widened Quinn giggled and placed a kiss to Rachel's cheek. "Don't worry... I'll catch you if you fall."

"How lovely." Rachel said sarcastically.

Before she had another chance to complain though, she was being dragged onto the rink. As soon as her blade sunk into the smooth ice, she felt her whole body shake with the movement. She felt as if she was going to fall. But like Quinn had promised the hold on her hand tightened and Quinn pulled her in closer to her side and skated ahead, the sound of ice splitting vibrating off the floor.

"Isn't this romantic... skating at Rockefeller Center?" Quinn grinned, glancing to the right at Rachel who had her tongue stuck out to the side, and was severely concentrated on gliding one foot in front of the other. It was absolutely adorable. "In Elf, Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel skated on this ice rink... it's like a movie Rach."

"Ah-huh." Rachel said still distracted.

Quinn stopped paying attention to skating after that and instead paid attention to Rachel who looked captivating as she skated. Her long brown hair was flowing behind her shoulders. Her ice skates were clonking against the ice, and that darn tongue was still sticking out and she still looked as cute as a button.

"Quinn, why aren't you paying attention?!" Rachel hissed, as she finally glanced up to see Quinn making moon-eyes at her.

The blonde just chuckled and faced forward again, pretending to concentrate on keeping them going along the circle, even though she knew she didn't need to. As a kid her dad signed Frannie and her up for ice skating lessons at the local rink. She had perfected a figure eight within a month and so the sport came naturally to her. That is why she did find it a little bit odd as to why she was terrible at rollerskating. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she was just bad on wheels... she had never been that good of a driver either.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it, Quinn." Rachel's voice interrupted her thoughts. The feeling of a hand releasing from hers almost made her frown, but when Rachel pumped her arms twice and sprang ahead, Quinn couldn't help but watching the brunette go.

After less than five seconds though it went downhill.

Rachel's skate managed to somehow hit the ice wrong and she veered right, immediately coming to halt by slamming into the wall of the rink, a loud grunt escaping her lips as she collided with the glass.

Quinn grimaced and made the short distance over to the brunette who was clenching her stomach.

"Hey, you okay?" Quinn breathed breathlessly trying to force herself to keep a straight face.

But when Rachel looked up with wide eyes and her bottom lip poking out, and shook her head Quinn laughed in her face. Like literally, right in her face.

"Ass!" Rachel hissed and turned sliding away at turtle speed.

Quinn just giggled and followed.

"I love you too, sweetie!" She chanted.

* * *

><p>It was just starting to get dark in New York when their bus came to a stop in Times Square.<p>

Rachel was ecstatic when she realized where they were heading. Her hands had been flat against the windows of the bus as she gazed out at the bright lights, her eyes flashing with admiration at the passing Broadway theaters. Quinn had dropped her chin down to the girl's shoulder and leaned her head to the left to kiss the spot right beneath Rachel's ear. "You are going to be there someday."

She heard a shaky breath release from Rachel, but other than that, the brunette made no other sound as her eyes continued to gleam at all the lights.

As they exited the bus, Quinn held Rachel's hand tightly in her own and made her way towards the TKTS Booth, the red steps gleaming underneath the city lights.

Quinn couldn't help glancing over her shoulder at Rachel who was still in awe.

"Rachel, how many times have you been in Times Square?" Quinn chuckled, picking the girl up by her waist and setting her down on the first step, while she stayed on level ground. They were at an even height now, and Quinn was looking straight into Rachel's bright brown eyes.

She immediately got lost in the chocolate gaze, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

"Probably around ten," Rachel answered right away, dropping her gaze down from the lights to Quinn, "but every time it manages to blow me away."

Quinn bit the inside of her cheek staring at the girl who was grinning like mad. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." Rachel replied, although she was distracted once again.

"Have you ever been kissed in Times Square?" Quinn murmured huskily.

"Why no, actually I haven-"

Rachel's answer was cut off by Quinn's lips. It couldn't have even be two seconds before Rachel's surprise immediately turned into passion. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Quinn's neck and pulling the girl as close as possible. Quinn's thoughts were obviously the same because the arms around her waist tightened, and there was no amount of space between the two girls as they kissed each other breathlessly.

It was only a matter of seconds after that before Quinn felt a tentative tongue touch her lips and she nearly died right then and there. She saw stars... gold stars. Rachel Berry stars. She groaned into the girl's mouth and Rachel immediately took the opportunity and thrust her tongue into Quinn's mouth.

Quinn's fingers dug into Rachel's hipbones and she stroked her tongue along Rachel's, learning the way Rachel felt. But Rachel obviously didn't have the same idea. Instead, her tongue slid in and licked the roof of Quinn's mouth before retracting. It was like she had only went in for a taste, and wasn't satisfied.

Quinn immediately felt nervous but when Rachel's fingers curled tighter into her hair and the kissing became even more heated, she pushed the feeling away.

Rachel's bottom lip slipped between Quinn's top lip and Quinn couldn't help but think, they were perfect for each other. Their bodies were melded into each other's dips and curves, and there lips were the perfect fit, and they were just a perfect fit.

When Quinn pulled back to catch her breath, Rachel immediately grinned from ear to ear and leaned their foreheads together.

"I thought you weren't going to kiss me until the end of the date?" Rachel teased, moving into to place a kiss on the girl's nose.

"There was a change of plans." Quinn murmured, before leaning back in for another kiss.

* * *

><p>"How much longer is this date?" Rachel murmured as she was dragged along the streets behind Quinn. "Not that I'm complaining, but it's almost ten o'clock."<p>

"That sure sounds like complaining." Quinn taunted, her eyes twinkling as she glanced over her shoulder at the brunette. "And this is the last stop before I take you home."

"Okay," Rachel whispered, her thoughts suddenly drifting to Quinn's sentence. _Before I take you home..._ She truly hoped the blonde meant what Rachel was thinking. Because if that were even true... Rachel wouldn't be getting much sleep anyway.

When people, lights, and spitting water came into view, Rachel immediately knew where they were.

"What is even remotely romantic about Lincoln Center Fountain, Quinn?" Rachel groaned as the blonde sighed, walking over to an empty spot by the fountain's edge.

"Quit asking questions and just watch." Quinn groaned and immediately hopped up onto the black linoleum. She turned and held out one hand for Rachel to grab onto and the brunette immediately shook her head. "Rachel," Quinn grunted, shaking her head, "come on get up here."

"No." Rachel said stubbornly as she looked around at the people sitting on the edge of the fountain. "What if someone looks at us weird?"

"You are worried about that now when we were practically sucking each others faces in Times Square?"

"Quinn!"

"Rachel, just get up here." Quinn commanded again, wriggling her fingers so Rachel would take the hint.

It only took another minute of persuading before Rachel climbed up onto the edge and was pulled in close to the blonde girl.

"Hi." Quinn grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"This is stupid." Rachel said shyly, dropping her head.

"No it's not," Quinn reluctantly argued, "come on, put your hand on my shoulder." The blonde ordered and held Rachel's hand to the side in her own, and Rachel immediately knew what the blonde was trying to do.

"No way," Rachel grunted, almost hopping off the edge, "I'm not dancing with you."

"Come on, Rachel." Quinn groaned, pulling the girl in without another word and holding her in place. "_Ba-bum, ba-da-bum, ba-da-da-da-bum. Boo-beeed-boo." _Quinn's grin was from ear to ear and Rachel couldn't help but chuckling underneath the blonde's stare.

The brunette relaxed slightly, leaning closer into the blonde and dropping her head to the taller girl's shoulder.

The soft coos of Quinn's voice gave her goosebumps, and she sighed, allowing her feet to take over as they danced along the edge.

"I feel like I'm in The Notebook." Rachel breathed after a while.

"I'm Ryan Gosling?" Quinn chuckled, dropping her cheek to the top of Rachel's head.

"Yes and I'm Rachel McAdams." She breathed, pulling her head back and grinning at Quinn who had a blush on her cheeks.

"Ryan?" Rachel chuckled.

"Yes, Rachel McAdams?" Quinn played along.

"I love you." Rachel murmured, raising up on her tiptoes to kiss Quinn's lips chastely.

"I love you too, Rachel." The blonde whispered, and after a few collective moments of staring at each other they went back to dancing.

"_Booo-bee-do-bee-da-bum-dooo. Bam-bo-bob-be-do."_

* * *

><p>When they finally arrived back to Rachel's dorm room, the brunette was a nervous wreck because she had no clue what the blonde wanted from her. The night before, the blonde was nearly ready to strip and have sex with her. Today she was the perfect date and kept all her clothes on.<p>

"I have a few more presents." Quinn announced as Rachel came into the living room, two glasses of wine in her hands.

"Oh?" Rachel questioned, handing over the red wine to the blonde who took a sip before setting it on the coffee table and reaching for her purse. Rachel watched with narrowed eyes as Quinn fumbled around before pulling out a tiny black box, a folded piece of paper, and two tiny gift bags.

The first thing that Quinn handed to Rachel was one of the gift bags.

Rachel took a swig of her wine before setting it down beside Quinn's drink. Before opening her present, Rachel glanced up at Quinn with wide eyes and smiled. Without saying anything, she silently told Quinn she loved her.

She reached inside the plastic bag and her fingers found what seemed like a few slips of paper. She immediately pulled them out of the bag and her eyes widened.

"Quinn, no, this is too much!"

In her hands were six tickets for three different Broadway shows: Wicked, Evita, and Chicago.

"Why are there six tickets?" She wondered aloud as her heart raced at the sight of seeing three of her favorite shows of all time.

This was way to expensive! How could Quinn even afford something like this? Knowing full well how hard it was to pay for things as a college student, Rachel was blown away by the present in front of her.

"Well, you can take a guest and I wanted you to be able to take whoever you want." Quinn explained, a red tint on her cheeks.

"Will you go with me?" Rachel immediately asked, jumping forward into Quinn's arms, completely ignoring the fact that she was practically sitting in Quinn's lap now.

Quinn seemed flustered as her eyes widened. "Me? You want to go with me?"

"Well of course! You are my girlfriend now, why wouldn't I want to go with you?" Rachel asked bluntly.

"I'm-I'm your girlfriend?" Quinn stammered.

Rachel gasped and frowned, suddenly hurt. "_Oh._ Well I thought after today... I-I was."

"You are." Quinn breathed.

"I am?" Rachel grinned.

"You are. I just didn't know if you thought you were, and, yeah, just I'm glad you like it. I'd love to go with you, Rach." Quinn murmured. "Now open your next gift."

Rachel opened the other gift bag to find two slips of paper and pulled them out eying them carefully.

"It's a boarding pass from New York to New Haven. I got one for me into New York to as well... I-I wanted to be as close to you as possible." Quinn stammered, running her hand through her hair as she grinned nervously at Rachel who still had the same stupid smile plastered on her face.

"Oh-oh, thank you Quinn!" Rachel whispered, and leaned forward kissing the blonde chastely before reaching for the black box on Quinn's lap.

"That kind of goes with this!" Quinn interuppted, handing Rachel the sheet of paper in her hands, and taking away the black box. "You-uhm-you read it." Quinn whispered shyly, as she paused to stand up, allowing Rachel to get off her lap. Rachel eyed Quinn who began to pace the living room, black box in her hands.

Rolling her eyes, Rachel began to read.

_Dear Rachel,_

_Well hello there, beautiful. I imagine you are reading this and wondering why I'm not telling you this in person. Well for starters: I can't, I'll probably end up fainting saying all this in person, thus why I've chosen to say it through a letter. These are all the things I can't say to you because there aren't really words to express them... and writing has always been a strong suit for me so I figured writing down my feelings would be easier than actually saying them aloud._

_Rachel Barbara Berry, I love you with everything I have in me. When you first told me you liked me, I had no clue what was wrong with me. I thought it was wrong. I thought what you felt for me was wrong and what I felt for you was wrong. But now that I know you, and I know the potential we could have, I know what we have is right. Nothing could be more right than us. When I see you, my stomach erupts into a beautiful array of butterflies. My knees go weak, my hearts starts pounding an my chest... all that cliché stuff - it happens with you. I never got what it meant... what love meant. My parents were never good role models of a couple in love, and when I saw other people being in love I thought it was fake and all about acting. I didn't think Brittany and Santana had love. I didn't think Tina and Mike had love. I didn't think we could have love... But we do. And I promise, right here, right now, that I will love you forever. I will love you with everything I am. I will shout it to the world how much I love you. If you want me to make you breakfast in bed, every morning, I'll do that. If you want flowers everyday, I'll do that. If you want to get married, I'll do that. I'll spend a lifetime proving to you how much I love you. _

_So with this letter, and your last birthday present... I hereby give you a promise ring... A promise ring to be everything you will ever need and more._

_I love you Rachel. I cherish you. I adore you. I'll always be your princess in shining armour._

_- Quinn_

As the letter was signed off Rachel glanced up to see Quinn perched on one knee, a ring held out in front of her.

"It's not a wedding ring... but if you want me to promise someday that it will be, I will do that. If you accept, this ring will symbolize my promise to you to be true, to call you when you need me to call you, no matter what time it is. To hop on a train and come over when you are sick. To come to each and every one of your Broadway shows. I promise to make you feel proud when you tell someone that Quinn Fabray is your girlfriend. I really care about you, Rachel. And I want us to be together... starting with right now, and hopefully this thing starting now, will turn into forever." Quinn whispered, her eyes tracing back and forth between Rachel's. "I love you, Rachel Berry."

"I-Quinn..." All Rachel could do was shift her hand and put the ring on her finger, grinning when Quinn's eyes broke out into tears. "I want to be with you forever too." She whispered, as she cupped Quinn's cheeks and pulled her forward.

The blonde shifted onto both knees and settled in between Rachel's legs, her arms moving to wrap around the blonde's waist.

Sitting on her knees in front of her, Rachel thought the blonde never looked more beautiful. She looked vulnerable and open to anything. She looked like... she looked like she was hers, and Rachel felt her heart burst, and a tidal wave of emotion flow through her.

She brought her hands up to push Quinn's hair out of her face and she felt her whole body come alive.

"Quinn?" She said, barely above a whisper.

"Yes, Rachel?" Quinn breathed back, gripping one of Rachel's hands and kissing the inside of her wrist.

"Will you make love to me?"

The question hung in the air for what seemed like forever, although it could have only been a few seconds.

"Are-are you sure?" Quinn breathed, placing another open-mouthed kiss to Rachel's other wrist.

"I've never been so certain of anything in my entire life."


End file.
